Sooo ... Ocean at the End of the Lane?
I'm offline most of the time currently, but having finally read almost half of Gaiman's latest, I am filled with an overwhelming sense of WTF?
It's striking me like the more abusive bits of Stephen King's Lisey's Story meets the more boring bits of a traditional British portal fantasy, but with more graphic details. Or vice versa, maybe, depending on which bit I'm reflecting on at the moment.
Having heard great things about this from people whose opinions I respect deeply, I am non-plussed. How good does the last half have to BE to make up for the first half???
P.S. - this is literally the first thing of his I haven't loved. Not just haven't liked, haven't LOVED. It's like when you take a great big bite of a delicious ice cream cone covered in chocolate sprinkles, only to discover they're really licorice. Again I say unto you ... WTF???
PPS - I think the last time I had this much of a visceral "the HELL did that come from?" reaction to a book is actually another one of King's, Under the Dome, which lots of people had had things to say about. Alas, none of those things - I would say "spoiler," but it's been several years - none of those things was "by the way, surprisingly graphic rape scene," or, "you'll really never hear the phrase 'momma loves you' in quite the same way again" or even "this is part of King's weird thing against mammaries" (seriously, three of his books in a row have weirdly detailed descriptions of cows and the like having their udders mutilated: it's like he's working through an alien abduction, or something ... but I digress). I'm not of the school that needs a trigger warning on everything I read, but both the King and the Gaiman are so wildly out of, a) authorial pattern, and, b) critical reaction, that I'm just left with this massive disconnect of ... [and here I do say SPOILER in case any sensitive souls have made it this far] really?!? It's just me who's left feeling unexpectedly infuriated and discombobulated by Gaiman's out-of-left-field attempted drowning?
To quote the Internet, DO NOT WANT.