Review: Neverwhere

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman is one of those books that I've been meaning to read for such a long time but never quite got around to it (does that sound familiar to all you other booklovers???). It's my flatmate's favourite book of all time, and she's normally very reticent with her opinions, so I knew she must REALLY love it in order to praise it so highly.

I read The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the beginning of this year (in fact, I think it might have been my first book of 2015), which was the first Neil Gaiman book I'd ever read. When I started Neverwhere, I thought I liked it a lot more than Ocean, but after finishing I'm not sure I still do. But I think Neverwhere felt more grounded and together as a story, and somehow more realistic (which is a bit bizarre, considering the subject matter).

From the outset, there are many threads of narrative woven together, which gave the impression of a complex and well-built storyline. Though, actually, it did take some mental gymnastics to work out how everything fitted together. And at some points I felt like I was sort of just taking the author's word for it that it all made sense. But, saying that, I also felt that about parts of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and that's one of my favourite series of all time, so it's not necessarily a deal-breaker for me.

The strongest element of the book, by far, was the world building. There were so many cool ideas on the go at once, and we got just enough of a glimpse into each aspect of this London 'below' to create just the right level of intrigue. I could possibly have done with a bit more explanation of some bits though.

The mysterious Croup and Vandemar were my personal favourites. Gaiman's descriptions hinted at their sinister capabilities so as to gradually build up a sense of dread. I also really enjoyed the writing style, which followed the likes of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams in its mixture of light and serious, finding a balance between the humorous and the sinister.

In summary, the writing style and world building were, for me, top notch. The other elements were still good, just slightly less so. Throughout, I had the distinct impression that it would've been better on screen as a TV series, just because of the visual nature of the world building, which I felt was slightly wasted on a standalone book. That said, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend! It would be especially fun, I imagine, for people with some knowledge of London.

What did you think of Neverwhere? Do you agree with my review? Let me know in the comments!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

I received this book from my brother for Christmas, and it was the first book I read in 2015! What a great start to the year!

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

I now own two Neil Gaiman books, though I've only read Ocean.

Author:

Neil Gaiman

Genre:

Fantasy

One-sentence summary:

A man returns to a childhood haunt and some long-forgotten memories of supernatural events resurface.

Review:

Having never read any Neil Gaiman before (I know, right?), I was going entirely on other people's opinions. So I was pretty sure I would like this book, but a little apprehensive that it wouldn't live up to my expectations. But I'm happy to report that it absolutely did! In fact, it surpassed them.

Right from the start, there was something weird and wonderful about this story. It begins with a middle-aged man heading to a childhood haunt and beginning to relive childhood memories of things that happened there. It's interesting, while reading the story and realising how extraordinary it is, to remember the man's attitude at the start and how fuzzy his memories have become. I felt that, while it was presented in a supernatural and fantastical way, the essence of the man's relationship to his memories is the same as our own. The events that seem so monumental to us in childhood begin to lose their power as they become transformed into distant recollections of the past.

Another facet of this story that I enjoyed was how the narrator - in the flashback to his childhood - relates to the adults around him and how he perceives adulthood. He sees adults as infallible and undefeatable, something which, as adult readers, we know to be untrue, and which his adult self knows to be untrue as well. 

The majority of the story is completely fantastical, and it's obvious that Gaiman really let his imagination run wild to concoct all the bizarre creatures and scenarios. But, for me, it is the human interactions that really make this book. The narrator's friendship with Lettie Hempstock (in contrast to the one he has with his sister), is really endearing, while the powerlessness he feels in the face of the adult world is much more threatening than any supernatural monster.

Final thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, partly because it is so imaginative and fantastical, and partly because of its human dimension. I know this is a lot of people's favourite Gaiman, so I'll be interested to see how it compares to his other works.

What did you think of The Ocean at the End of the Lane? Do you agree with my review? Let me know in the comments!

Update: Check out this brilliant review by Girl with Her Head in a Book - she just captures the book so perfectly! :)