Read this when
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Grown-ups told him nothing was wrong. The girl at the end of the lane believed him. 🌊
Who it's for
A middle-aged man, back in his hometown for a funeral, remembers being seven: a lonely boy who loved books, whose home was invaded by Ursula Monkton, a malevolent being disguised as a lodger-housekeeper, and whose father turned against him.
Feelings it meets
What it is
A 2013 fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman. An unnamed man returns to his childhood hometown for a funeral and recalls events from about forty years earlier, when he befriended his neighbor Lettie Hempstock, a girl who called the pond behind her house an ocean. A supernatural entity entered his world and took the form of Ursula Monkton, who infiltrated his household and turned his father against him.
Where to find it
In print; widely available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) and as an audiobook. Not public domain in the US. Also adapted for the stage (National Theatre).
Before you start
Heads up: A suicide and child abuse by a father.
Age: Ages 14+
And if it is a fear you would dispel, the seat of that fear is in your heart and not in the hand of the feared.Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, “On Freedom”
