BOOK REVIEW: Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Genres: Fiction

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Coraline by Neil Gaiman is like a children’s book, but it’s not only a children’s book. It’s incredibly imaginative, simple and perfectly satisfying.

It’s a short read and could be read in a day. The story is about a little girl called Coraline and her parents who moves into an old house, divided into four flats. Soon she gets bored with the new place, and with her parents being too busy to spend time with her, she goes on to explore her neighborhood. On exploring, Coraline finds a locked door in the drawing-room of her own house. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different.

And when she finds her “other” parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes. When they make it clear, however, that they want to make her theirs forever, Coraline begins a nightmarish game to rescue her real parents and three children imprisoned in a mirror. With only a bored-through stone and an aloof cat to help, Coraline confronts this harrowing task of escaping these monstrous creatures.

Gaiman’s ability to create the dark, eerie atmosphere is impressive and surrealistic. Along with his words and storytelling, he will take a reader’s imagination on an adventure and if once in Gaiman’s world, there is no coming back. You will want to live in that world for quite a time.

The language of the book is simple, and fits the story perfectly. The characterization consists of characters which are fun, jolly and meant to be enjoyed.

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