This is my first time reading anything by Neil Gaiman, and it was quite different from my expectations.
Most of this book describes the memories of a man when he was seven years old – and the somewhat surreal and dreamlike experience he has involving some very unusual neighbors. The book is set in rural England and invokes a strong sense of nostalgia. His writing style is a dreamlike as well, and it reminded me of a gentler Stephen King in the same way that he brings back memories both good and bad. In this book the author focuses equally on both.
I was particularly impressed how the writer created the sense of safety and comfort of the farmhouse that the main character visits throughout the book – the descriptions of the food, the safety, and the cozy hideaway really called out to me.
But on the other hand he had me shuddering when describing a few scenes involving worms, kittens and hanging rags that I won’t be able to forget for a while. Great writing!
For me this was the right balance of reality and fantasy, and I’m not sure if all his books get this balance right – but I’ll look into reading more to see for myself.
The next book that I’m reading is Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
