The Ocean at the End of the Lane

A Novel

By: Neil Gaiman

Narrated by: Neil Gaiman

Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Narration by the Author or Authors, 2014

Audie Award Finalist, Fiction, 2014

Sussex, England: A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. He is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet sitting by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean), the unremembered past comes flooding back. Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie - magical, comforting, wise beyond her years - promised to protect him, no matter what.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. A stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.

©2013 Neil Gaiman (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers

This was my first Neil Gaiman read. It will not be my last

I loved this story. I love stories that make you think. Visualize. Hear the author and he did not disappoint. Will be reading Neil Gaiman again.

Memory and monsters

A luminous story about memory and monsters. Neil does it again, creating a story that speaks to the heart and the mind of the child inside every adult. A story bristling with details you can smell, hear, taste, and see so vividly, you might mistake these memories for your own. Lovely in a heartbreaking way that can be truly appreciated by those of us with our youth long ago past us. I loved his narration, just pitch perfect and so entertaining.

Always right there…

Like a steaming traincar with the door wide open, you pass thru thick mist rolling across a dark mornings air, and in you go. Making yourself comfortable and awaiting the next adventure. Suddenly your joints aren’t as tight, that stitch in your side that’s been bothering you is gone, and your knees feel ready to run full speed and out of control down a grassy countryside hill like we did as children. Thats what Neil Gaiman’s books are for me. My head on my soft pillow late at night in the darkness and quiet of my home I take it all in. My only wish is that I could stay awake a bit longer to remain in this self-made dream I’ve nestled into. I close my eyes and just listen, allowing Gaiman’s narration to take me far away to distant lands I will never pass thru otherwise. I’m in beautiful forests with friends I’ve feel I’ve known my whole life, on a mission to solve some problem that needs solving or else…or I’m in the basement of a castle, flickering flames softly light the ancient cracked concrete walls surrounding me while my accomplice and I desperately try to find the key to the door before the terrible beast turns the corner and is upon us! Or I’m being taken back to the comfort of my own childhood where my memories become so vivid that I can almost touch them. This is where his work takes me. If you know, well then you already know, but if you’re new to these wonderful stories I cannot say enough about them. You’re continuing to read this review for a reason…..you’ve been looking for that key. You’ve found it.

Loved it, sweet dreamlike story

So beautifully written, sweet story about the memories, the unknown, family, the joy from the perspective of a kid in little things such as delicious food even when the world around feels like it's crumbling, having faith, trust, in a friend. I loved it. Such a dreamlike story that resonates with the style of dreams I tend to have. I definitely must read more from Gaiman. 💖

Another beautiful story

what's not to love? the story pulls you in from the beginning. I love how the maiden, mother, and crone are represented in this story, the way he describes so many things, I cannot name just one. So many times, the narrator would say something that would cause an "a ha!" moment. I cannot wait to jump into my next Neil Gaiman read. He's a genius at storytelling.

Oh, the Wondrous Ocean!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane feels like none of Gaiman’s previous novels. It’s easily the most personal of his novels, tightly focused, and brief – like childhood remembered by an adult. It’s a story of memories as tangible as the sea – we know they happened, we even swam in it, but the waves continue to roll, and the landscape is seemingly ever changing. It’s memories as mythology, and it’d be cynical not to fall under it’s haunting spell.

It’s also a meditation on mortality, as told by a nameless narrator who has returned to England for his father’s funeral. Because of that, it’s impossible not to divorce our image of the narrator as Neil himself, giving this book a fantastical yet autobiographical sense – even moreso as an audiobook – which is part of the point. Readers and fans familiar with Gaiman via Twitter and his blog may remember reading about similar familiar events referenced in this book, although their memories will be distinctly different from what occurs in the story.

As one character says: “That’s the trouble with living things. Don’t last very long. Kittens on day, old cats next. And then just memories. And the memories fade and blend and smudge together.”

Memories should be cherished and treasured, like dreams, but perhaps they shouldn’t be completely trusted. And it’s what we do with those memories that count.

In spinning this story, Gaiman has woven himself into a new mythology all his own. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a reminder to adults of the wonders and mysteries of childhood, and encourages us to find those same pleasures as adults. It reminds us that just because we’re grown up, doesn’t mean it’s over, and we may still witness wondrous and mysterious things.

Fantasy for readers of "certain age"

I was immediately captivated upon hearing the first few pages of “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” tacked on as a promo at the end of “Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar.” The tale of a man, back in his childhood hometown on the occasion of a funeral, re-discovering something fantastic and magical at the end of the lane made me feel wistful, like I wanted some of my mother’s chocolate chip cookies. So I immediately ordered “The Ocean” and waited for those cookie-scented childhood memories to waft my way.

The book is for the most part a flashback, as the man of the first chapter recalls an adventure he had—or may not have had—as a young boy. As much as I liked the first chapter, much of the middle section of the book was just too icky for my taste. Intellectually, I understand the purpose of the scary parts but they were a bit graphic for my taste and jarred with other parts that were beautifully whimsical.

The end of the book did a nice job of bringing everything back full circle, and made several allusions to the author’s own life as an expatriate and (at one time) struggling artist. I got the idea that this book was more autobiographical than others I have read by Gaiman. The long view of life that the novel’s structure allows resonated with me as I believe it will for many other readers of a “certain age.”

I listened to this as an audio book read by Gaiman. He does a marvelous job here as with other readings I have heard from him.

A nice diversion

What does Neil Gaiman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

At first I was a little hesitant of listening to an author read his own book. Authors can usually write a great story, but not many can speak a great story (myself included.) But Gaiman made it work! One benefit of the author reading their own story is that they know exactly HOW the dialog was intended to be delivered. They know where they want inflection, where it should be whispered, or exasperated, etc.

Any additional comments?

I like Science Fiction, good straight-up realistic SciFi! This is not SciFi, it is fantasy. But... I liked it. I liked it a lot. Gaiman tells a great story (both in his writing and in his narration). Half the time I thought the boy in the story was me at that age. I can't think of anything I didn't like about the story and the ending was perfect.

Into the Mystic

If you could sum up The Ocean at the End of the Lane in three words, what would they be?

"For whatever we lose (a you or a me) It's always ourselves we find in the sea." E.E. Cummings

Which character – as performed by Neil Gaiman – was your favorite?

Old Mrs. Hempstock. She would be a lot of fun, I think.

If you could take any character from The Ocean at the End of the Lane out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Letty - immutable and steadfast, but quick to laugh with a warm hand to hold. The best friend every child should have.

Any additional comments?

This book is beautiful and devastating all at once. At first I thought it was going to be the lush, delicious blanket of warmth Neil Gaiman has served up so well in the past, like in The Graveyard Book. But this is no children's book, not in the least. At one point I found myself shouting at the book in anger; at another point I was driving down the highway with tears streaming down my face.

Obviously I am a huge fan of Mr. Gaiman's, and I highly recommend this book.

From Childhood to a Dark Place

I was so lucky to have stumbled upon this book. I was fortunate enough to read the first part of the book as a preview that was included in another one of Neil Gaiman's books. Once I read that preview, I knew that I would read the entire book when it was published. I am glad that I did--it was great!

This book tells the story of a many who returns to his childhood hometown for a funeral. While there, he recalls a strange memory from his childhood that involved a neighborhood girl and her duck pond, which she always referred to as her ocean. The recollections are--at first--very pleasant; however, they take a frightening turn before too long.

Most of the story is told from the perspective of the young boy--the unnamed boy in the memory. Because of this, the book starts off very nicely. In many ways, I was reminded of my own childhood by some of the memories. This is what drew me into the story. It is not until slightly further along in the story that I realized this book was no longer just a childhood tale.

The boy's neighbors are supernatural beings in some way (which is never made entirely clear). Through a rather unfortunate sequence of events, the boy gets wrapped up in the supernatural occurrences around his neighborhood. That's when things start to get very dark. There is a particular scene in the book involving the boy's babysitter that was so creepy that it actually made me cringe while reading it--and believe it or not, I think that's a good thing!

I haven't read too many other Neil Gaiman books, but I will certain do so now that I read this one. The story was interesting, and the characters are quite memorable. If his other books have these same qualities and can also creep me out just a bit, then I'll be in for many more reads by Neil Gaiman.