Book Review: Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Coraline Jones lives with her two parents in one of the many flats of an old house. Downstairs two aging actresses live and reminisce about their careers. Upstairs an old man is training mice for a circus act. The Jones's flat is next to an empty one. A door in their parlor would lead into the other flat but when they open it, the doorframe is bricked up. The parlor is for good guests so they hardly go in there anyway.

Coraline's parents are a bit neglectful and not entirely competent (the dad makes dinners but there's always something wrong with them). Coraline explores the area around the house and is eventually drawn back to the bricked-up door. She snatches the keys while her parent are out and discovers a passageway rather than a brick wall. Being an adventurer, she wanders into the other flat, where she discovers her other mother and other father. They seem the same as her parents but they have black shiny buttons for eyes. They also are more attentive to her needs and want her to stay. At first she is attracted by the offer. The other mother says she can stay as long as they sew button eyes on Caroline. She finds this less attractive. The other mother is insistent, bringing about a conflict between the two.

The story is bizarre and creepy and imaginative. Gaiman crafts a sinister other world where Coraline can learn more about herself and her relationship to adults, especially her parents. There's a lot of provocative details that engage the brain. In both worlds, there's only one Coraline and there's only one cat, so the cat has a special relation to the story and to Coraline. The book might even be more fun to read as an adult even though it has the classic "child's fantasy adventure" trappings.

Highly recommended.