Neil Gaiman – Coraline
I was wandering aimlessly through the bookstore when I happened across this thin-looking book touting Gaiman’s name. While the author’s name caught my attention, it was the cover art that held it. A girl and a cat, colourfully twisted between artistic styles, with the house innocently providing the background.
The story is quite brief, but equally compelling. I surprised myself with the intensity with which I took to the story. Coraline, not to be confused with Caroline, is a true adventurer. Exploration is her heart and soul. When she and her parents move to a new flat, she takes no hesitation to discover the magic and the mysteries of this new environment. Especially the mysteries. Such as the mystery of the door that goes only into a brick wall, and why she would get a message from circus mice that she should not go through the door.
Gaiman is a wonderful storyteller, but I think I found myself a bit disappointed that Coraline’s story is as short as it is. With fond memories for detail of American Gods and Neverwhere, I wish it could have been fleshed out just a little bit more, but I think that would change the target audience. I don’t think that it was particularly meant for the adult market, although many adults will love it just the same.
