Real WORD Podcast – Episode 4: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

In this episode, we’re talking about the book: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

The Ocean at the End of the Lane was published in 2013 by HarperCollins. Gaiman himself has said he wasn’t sure as he was writing it whether it would be an adult novel - his first in a while - or a novel for young adult readers.

Reviewers have come down on both sides with The Guardian reviewer noting that, “When I thought about it, I realised that I am an adult reading self, and also a child reader, and that it was my childhood self who settled into this story.”

When I began to read the book, it reminded me of the film, Pan’s Labyrinth by Mexican filmmaker, Guillermo del Toro, where the real world of a child is intermingled with a magical one in order to make some sense of the darkness around them.

First, we talk about the absence of the narrator’s name, then we look at the quote the author chose to put on the first page of the book and what it seems to mean. (If you’re a parent you may want to pay special attention to this section!)

We talk about how in the book memory becomes fabric and what would make a sacrifice worthwhile.

The Real WORD Podcast is produced by Reading Opens Minds and edited by Saul Black.

For more information about Reading Opens Minds goto: readingopensminds.org - there you can subscribe to our newsletter and see what else we’re up to!

Special thanks for this episode goes to Stacy Reader and Mercedes Vasquez for co-facilitating the book club.

Next episode we’ll be talking about the book, The Tattooed Soldier by Hector Tobar.

Until then, Happy Reading!