Once upon a time, a young boy lived down the lane from three ladies; a grandmother, a mother, and an 11 year old daughter. The eleven year old is called Letty Hemstock and she claims that the duck pond in their backyard is an ocean. Her mother remembers crossing the ocean from the old country and the grandmother remembers the really old country that was before the big bang. These women are the only hope our young narrator has to overcome the trouble he is in.

I did not need to check the dust cover to know this was the plot of the newest Neil Gaiman book. Gaiman has a distinct writing style that invites the reader into a world that is full of adventure and memorable characters. His writing style is unique because he can take fantastical elements and integrate them into reality in a plausible way. The Ocean at the End of the Lane feels like it will have a solid adventure and the plot already gives us insight to three interesting women.

Gaiman has said that this was a story he hadn’t even meant to write as a novel. It evolved from a short story to a novella then finally his first adult novel since Anansi Boys. He feels that this is something different than anything he has ever written, and this gave him a bit of anxiety. However, with a little help from some lucky advanced readers he was confident enough to release it and now us mere mortals are counting down till we have the same privilege. Be ready to pick up your copy on June 18th this summer.

“I’m so proud of it and hope you will give it a chance, Thank You.”

– Neil Gaiman