The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Fantasy is not the sort of book we typically read so we probably weren't the best informed audience for this book.  Most of us liked it but were glad it was short, though some just didn't care to finish it, which is fine.  Peggy said she thought the author was more interesting than the book.  The authors Gaiman read as a young men were Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, G.K Chesterton and Ursula LeGuin, all theologians and fantasy authors.  Their influence stirred in with his Jewish Scientology roots seem to the basis for the writing genre he is developing.

We talked the most about Ursula, trying to figure out what she was.  Gaiman wrote that "She was the storm, she was the lightning, she was the adult world with all it's power and all its secrets and all its foolish casual cruelty."  According to Lettie, she was only acting on her nature, which was to give people what they thought they wanted, which was always money.  Mary said she got that and it was the only part of the book she liked.  She had read it months ago and then reread it again for today, hoping to find what the point was.  She concluded it had no point to which Patricia responded that was the point - to read and enjoy and no more.  We unsuccessfully tried to figure out the Hempstocks and their relationship to the "ocean."

Kareen reminded us that no matter what we thought, it was not difficult to read compared to Midnight's Children that was long, tedious, mystical, and nearly incomprehensible. This is true.  And a wonderful potluck was had by all.

Merry Christmas from the Tuesday Book Group!