Week Five: A Highly Anticipated Title

Assignment 3:

 

Looking under the "Coming Soon -- Season Previews" sidebar of EarlyWord, I was intrigued by the first link listed: Flavorwire — Flavorpill’s 30 Most Anticipated Books of 2013. Looking at the "Hot Topics" across the top of the page - David Bowie, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Daft Punk, Star Trek Into Darkness, Arrested Development - I knew I'd found something right up my alley. And, allong with some other intriguing titles to look out for, I found that Neil Gaiman will have a new book out this summer, Ocean at the End of the Lane. Awesome!

 

Gaiman's books have been some of my favorite reads - American Gods, Good Omens, the Sandman Chronicles - so, for me, the combination of 'Neil Gaiman' and 'new book' would be all the appeal words I'd need. But for the sake of the exercise, I'll do the full break down Ocean:

• Pacing:     From the reviews I've read, the newest Gaiman book is as un-put-downable as his previous works. Gripping and spellbinding are also popular descriptions. I can't tell if that makes it fast or slow paced story-wise, but in terms of reading experience, it sounds like a fast read.
• Characterization:     The characters in this story are intriguing, poignant, and carefully constructed. I'm enticed by the family of witches, the bookish narrator plunged into a horrifying ordeal, and the opal miner who commits suicide in a borrowed car, setting off the whole chain of events.
• Setting & Detail:     Set in rural England, the book has some delightfully country details: foods, for starters, like shepherd's pie and homemade custard, along with the duckpond on the farm at the end of the lane that is much more than what it seems. Nostalgic on the surface but spine-chilling in the reveal.
• Story Line:     Mixing horror on an epic, good-vs.-evil scale with fantasy and layers of emotional resonance, this is a story about memory and redemption. It's also an adventure story with a myth-arc. Hard to find one genre, but "Fantasy" is usually where mash-ups like this end up.
• Tone & Language:     Moving, hair-raising, and highly emotional. This book also has elements of a thriller, mixed with the imaginative lure of modern fantasy.  The language is compelling and lyrical. From the jacket description, the tone of the book is

  "...as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark..." [source]

  It sounds lovely.
• Learning/Experiencing:     Reviewers found that while the story steps into the strange and fantastical, the experience of reading the book was an emotional one. It is a book with which the reader, through the lens of childhood memories both good and bad, can connect in a personally resonant way.