The Ocean at the End of the Lane

“Nobody actually looks like what they really are on the inside. You don't. I don't. People are much more complicated than that.” -Lettie Hempstock

I know other reviews have pointed out that same quote, but it's so real and so true that it needs to have a spotlight shined on it. It's hard to pick my favorite conversation involving Lettie, but the one that involves that discussion is near the top of the list.

Friendship. Hope. Hopelessness. Fear. Sadness. Love. Happiness. Loneliness. Memory. Remorse. Forgiveness. Sounds like a lot to squeeze into 178 pages. Neil Gaiman does it masterfully. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is simply magical.