Gaiman's Latest Adult Novel Features Action and Introspection John Sulzbach, Killingworth CT

Introduction• John Sulzbach, a licensed arborist who is starting

his own business in Killingworth, Connecticut, is an avid reader. When John Sulzbach talks about his favorite books, one of them is The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.

This short novel is based in Sussex, England. A middle-aged artist visits his childhood home because of a funeral. While there, he goes for a walk on a whim and sits beside a pond, where he suddenly remembers vivid adventures from his boyhood.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane• These adventures, which change him for the rest of

his life, revolve around Lettie Hempstock, who comforts the protagonist and promises to protect him after he is frightened by a man who killed himself in a stolen car. This suicide reignites an epic, magical battle that first began eons earlier.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane unites fast-paced action with introspection, fluctuating between scenes that alternately comfort and terrify. The story presents very human fears of threats.