Coraline was my first Neil Gaiman book. I'd always heard of him, but never wanted to read any of his stuff because I think I lumped him in with Stephen King, which was probably not the right thing to do. It was really interestingly written and very creepy. If I'd been in the intended age bracket when I read it I would probably still be having nightmares.
Coraline is a little girl leading a comfortable (but boring) little girl existence when she stumbles through a door into a world that is a lot like her own, only a little off. All of the characters from her regular life are distorted and seem, at first, to be happier versions of their real selves. Soon enough the differences become more than just the button eyes everyone has, and what starts out as harmless difference slowly slides into a life-or-death race for time against a creepy (and sort of sexist maybe in the GIMME MORE BABIES MORE MORE MORE BABIES! way)pseudo-mother.
What I liked about this book the most was the confrontation of the assumption that what you want and what you need are the same thing. Everyone seeming to have everything they want ends up coming off decidedly creepier than you might think. If the movie they made is anywhere as spine-tingly as the book, I will definitely go see it. I don't like thrillers or murder mysteries or anything like that. This book had some good, old fashioned otherworldly creepy that never felt forced or heavy handed.
I will probably want to read more Gaiman after this. Owen recommended the Graveyard Book. Any others?
Pages: 192
Time: Jan 19-22
Rating: 7.5
Also, sorry for taking so long to post this. I finished this book forever ago and am almost done with another one.
Oh, Gaiman. How he loves writing waifs. I packed my sister's copy of American Gods, otherwise I would lend it to you. Some people love it. I am not one of these people? I will try to find my review of it so that we can compare if you read it.
ReplyDeleteI think I read part of that (was it on the bathroom floor for a while? Or am I now confusing it with that Turtle book that Peter lent me?) and was pleasantly surprised. We shall see.
ReplyDeleteI love reading waifs! So it works out!
i have a collection of his short stories called fragile things that is interesting. but you know, short stories can only get you so far.
ReplyDeletei like this blog. i thought a waif was a very thin person.
ah, that would be 'waifish'.
ReplyDeleteYea waif is that and also more than that in a metaphorical sense. Or I could just be an idiot.
ReplyDeleteYaaaaaaaaayblog