While Mr. Ham and I will be deciding soon what to read and discuss here, one book we haven't posted about is the latest magical tome by one Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Being a fan of Mr. Gaiman since I can remember (probably as early as his comic book work on Black Orchid and The Sandman), To say I've been completely ensorcelled by his storytelling techniques is an understatement, and his novels, too, have taken me hostage, having read (and reread) Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods, Anansi Boys, as well as some of his short stories.
To read The Ocean at the End of the Lane is to experience a story swathed in mythology and folklore, but without being inundated by the names of Classical literature. To read about the Hempstock sisters, one can certainly see the connection between these three women (who range in age from maiden, mother, to crone) and the three Fates of Greek mythology. Even the name Hempstock, with the word "hemp" referring to something fibrous that one might use to weave a cloth, conjures the image of three mystical archetypal females whose power extends beyond the mortal realm, but yet to see these three women in Gaiman's story, their simple lives belie their universal concept. Powers of darkness and light, chaos and order, contend with one another throughout the novel, but this isn't a battle between wizards like Gandalf and Saruman, or Dumbledore and Voldemort. These female forces appear as more natural aspects of the world around the characters, more akin to the facets of the Mother Goddess. Even the antagonist, Ursula Monkton, behaves as one would expect of a force of nature, something abstract and formidable.
What I found so appealing about this novel, aside from it being a Neil Gaiman work, is that it's largely a gynocentric story, drawing on the ancient power of the female energy that helped birth the cosmos. Even though the main character, an unnamed male, seems to be the pivot around which the story is told, he is not the primary force that drives the story forward. Even people who are largely unfamiliar with Gaiman's work can read The Ocean at the End of the Lane and comprehend not only its message but also grasp the story.
This novel begins with death (the unnamed protagonist goes back home for a funeral) and ends with death of a sort (read the novel to find out), but it circumscribes a living tale that touches on the innate power within all of us to face intractable obstacles. The magic of this novel is its universality, and that it applies to any time and place, to any generation and every one.
It took me about three hours of uninterrupted time to finish this novel, and it only took as long as it did because I would reread sections because I had become enamored of the precision with which Gaiman weaves a story; one simply cannot understand fully his stories unless he or she revisits them. Even if you don't like fantasy fiction, you will like this novel. It's as good a jumping on point for Gaiman's books as any (the length makes it pretty accessible). The Ocean at the End of the Lane will warm your heart and nurture your soul.
