The Ocean at the End of the Lane cover art

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for £5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

By: Neil Gaiman
Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
Try Standard free

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £15.79

Buy Now for £15.79

About this listen

The celebrated modern classic from the number one best-selling writer.

THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD 'BOOK OF THE YEAR'

AN ACCLAIMED WEST END THEATRE PRODUCTION

This is what he remembers, as he sits by the ocean at the end of the lane:

A dead man on the back seat of the car and warm milk at the farmhouse.

An ancient little girl and an old woman who saw the moon being made.

A beautiful housekeeper with a monstrous smile.

And dark forces woken that were best left undisturbed.

They are memories hard to believe, waiting at the edges of things. The recollections of a man who thought he was lost but is now, perhaps, remembering a time when he was saved....

NEIL GAIMAN.

WITH STORIES COME POSSIBILITIES.

©2013 Neil Gaiman (P)2013 Headline Digital Fantasy Fiction Heartfelt Mind-bending Scary

Critic reviews

"Neil Gaiman's entire body of work is a feat of elegant sorcery. He writes with such assurance and originality that the reader has no choice but to surrender to a waking dream," (Armistead Maupin)

"Some books just swallow you up, heart and soul." (Joanne Harris)

"Summons both the powerlessness and wonder of childhood, and the complicated landscape of memory and forgetting." (Guardian)

All stars
Most relevant
As a fan of Neil Gaiman's previous work, I approached this new novel with great interest as it promised to include more realism than usual. It's a short book, but it suits its length well – Gaiman has turned out a little gem.

The blending of fantasy and the real works well, but Gaiman is on firmer ground with his treatment of the fantastical as he lets his considerable imagination fly. The more realistic narrative by contrast seems to come from a less experienced author, but it is still solid and well written, so my impression is just that Gaiman is still not completely comfortable with writing about real things.

Gaiman's narration is excellent as always and I would highly recommend that readers give any of his audiobooks a try.

Childhood through adult eyes

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
There's not much better than hearing Neil read his own stories. I loved this one. Intriguing from the very start, beautifully written, dark and magical in equal measure, and wonderfully narrated. Immersive, emotional, and thrilling. A new favourite.

Incredible

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
First audible book I've listened to in years and it was just wonderful. Was on the edge of my seat for the entire middle section. Neil Gaiman has such a soothing voice, he reads all the voices with the expertise that you would expect from the actual author. Really brilliant, loved it.

Fantastic!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What did you like most about The Ocean at the End of the Lane?

This novel creates a magical world set in memory and reality. The reader is invited into the world and explores it through the eyes of an accepting child. But it's not a saccharin tale, there is fear, insecurity and an ending which.... well, that would spoil things. A totally engaging listen.

Magical and beautiful, but without any sugar

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I adored this story!!! 🖤

There are so many ways to explain or describe it but all of them would have spoilers, so I'm going to keep it as simple as I can...

READ IT! READ IT! READ IT! It's worth it 😅🖤

Neil Gaiman at his finest

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews