The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Neil Gaiman delivers another magical tale of childhood, mixing together bits of his own youth with delightfully wicked fantasy elements to create an emotionally engaging, mature piece of fiction. This is a shorter novel, but it is precisely focused, as Neil has trimmed all the excess packaging off the story, leaving only the sweetest bites intact. The central characters were all fleshed out fully, without many side characters entering or exiting the story, and the arc was beautifully executed with a tumultuous ending. Love.