The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel

Mind bending. A journey through a child’s eyes that keeps you guessing about what’s real or fantasy or both!

I really loved the book. Really truly.

This was such a wholesome book. The entire time the book felt very lonely and isolated, but this makes sense as we are seeing the world from an adult (who I believe to be depressed) recount his childhood, which wasn’t wow. So to me that felt the normal way to see it.


*Spoilers*

There were scenes I was really shocked to read, the one that comes to mind was the drowning scene. Where his father tries to drown him because he will not eat Ursula’s food. That part was pretty shocking. This was one thing that the Hempstock women did not get rid of in his memories. I’m glad they did not because as we get to the end, the gran says that she has been clipping his memory and so his view on his whole story may not even be right. That left me wondering a lot.

Although, I wanted to know more about the Hempstock women, I enjoyed that not everything was given away. I was sad that we did not get to know more of what or where Lettie went. Her dying but not knowing when she would come back was a little ugh.

The main character also keeps going back time and time again, but the gran has cut his memory to make sure he doesn’t remember. There were definitely things that had me questioning what was true and what wasn’t and so I think Gaiman made a good thing there. If you know the ending and look back you realize why the story is written the way it is written and it all makes sense.


I would recommend this story but you may feel in a slump afterwards.

I just loved his voice. A few times while listening to this at work I was very creeped out and scared. It was a strange book. Reminded me of some of the nightmares/dreams I had as a kid where I was trapped at my babysitters house only it was a strange land.

What a weird book. Well written and highly imaginative. Shared memories, fantastical creatures, friendship and sacrifice.