I love listening to Neil Gaiman's books rather than reading them and would definitely recommend this story as an audiobook. Gaiman is such a fantastic narrator and when it comes to his work I think it adds something to the story to hear it read in his voice. There are times in the book where he would read with a tone of voice or expression that I don't think I would have jumped to if I was reading it off the page.

Note, the remainder of this review may contain spoilers for the themes of the book. I think knowing these themes in the story will add to the reading experience rather than taking away, but if you are looking to go in blind, then do not proceed.

I think The Ocean at the End of the Lane does a really good job at combining the folklore of childhood with the exploration of what it is like to experience child abuse at a young age. It is incredibly visceral. I personally found it somewhat cathartic, but at times it made me feel physically sick as someone who has experienced childhood abuse. It was really an experience to see some of the emotions I felt back then so brutally reflected in the story.

I would caution people who are coming into this expecting something whimsical, but I also wouldn't call this outright horror. I understand why so many reviewers say that this doesn't feel like an adult novel, but I think part of that is because this story feels like a lot of the books/movies that we grew up with where the child protagonist is neglected/abused and has to find ways to rise above it. It is a very familiar story, but it takes that additional step over the line. It doesn't gloss over the horror of what that experience is like to be a child and realize that you are in real danger. The pain and fear doesn't happen off screen.

I would say if you are looking for something that gives you an idea of what it is like to experience early childhood abuse then this book would be a good read. If you have had those experiences, then maybe use caution coming into this.