Coraline
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I haven't read much Neil Gaiman. I know he's a beloved fantasy/graphic novel author and all that but, having a life and all, I can only get around to reading so much. Awhile ago I read his collaboration with Terry Pratchett, Good Omens, which I thought was bloody brilliant and I went on to read Stardust. . . which, unfortunately, was exceedingly less than brilliant. In fact, I was pretty turned off on Gaiman after reading that, but because he has such a large fan base (and because I'd managed to acquire a couple of his other books at library sales), I decided to give him another chance. Which brings us to my review today, Coraline.
Coraline is marketed as a children's novel and is a pretty quick read. It's written in a fairy tale style that leaves a lot to the imagination. I've heard from other people who lamented the lack of elaboration and a thorough back story, but I thought it was wonderful. The eponymous main character is a little girl who's family has just moved to a flat located in an old house. Coraline enjoys exploring the grounds and visiting the other inhabitants of the house, which include a strange old man who talks to mice and two former actresses who like to regale Coraline with tales of their youth.
In Coraline's living room there's a door that opens onto a brick wall--a result of renovating the house into flats. But one day, she unlocks the door to find a hallway that leads into another flat (I know a lot of kid's stories feature this kind of scenario, but bear with me). This other flat is much like her own (complete with alternate versions of her parents), but has this dreamy unreal quality to it. At first she likes it better--but Coraline's "other mother" keeps pestering her to come and live there forever. It doesn't take long before things start to turn foul, and Coraline discovers the real nature of the "other mother," who's been preying on children for centuries.
This book is seriously creepy. I mean it. It certainly creeped me out more than The Shining, which I didn't find that scary at all. I loved it because it's fantastical and unsettling without being gory or too cerebral, like a lot of adult novels are. It's kind of like a Hitchcock film in that sense. It's modern and funny and has a happy ending, but it also appealed to the kid in me who's still worried about things that go bump in the night. So, long story short, Mr. Gaiman has redeemed himself with me. I'll look forward to reading more of his work in the future.
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