It happened in a season of my life devoted to snatching up used books for almost nothing that I was browsing the disorganized stacks at the Used Book Sale run by my local library. Under a table, I found a cardboard box labeled "youth SF" and, although the box was small, I dared to tell myself, "how cool it would be if I found a copy of Neil Gaiman's coveted Coraline here for only a buck?" Such was the magic of that time and place—very appropriate magic, as it turns out—that my wish came true.
If you love spooky details, you should read this book. It's got a talking cat with an attitude, zombie parents with buttons for eyes, an old man who talks to mice, a fog-shrouded alternative universe run by rats and an opressive maternal presence, and (most disturbingly) retired actresses.
Gaiman excells here at viewing the world through the eyes of his young protagonist, Coraline. In sketching the characters of her parents, he supplies only those details you expect a young daughter would see. He also imagines a compelling alternative universe, a World on the Other Side of the Door. Finally, he populates Coraline's (tiny) known world with a collection of ancient and lovable oddballs. This is all achieved with a marvelous economy of words.
Less appealing to me was the forward momentum of the story, or lack thereof. There's a whole lot of dream sequence going on in this book. For the record, dream stories always disappoint me. For example: lately I have been watching Youtubed installments of the 1985 TV adaptation of Alice in Wonderland with my daughter (she's six), and I'm noticing just how little this "classic" propells me anywhere. I hate the free-floating, unpredictable feeling AIW gives me. Indeed, I have a problem whenever a story allows for truly anything to happen next:
A giant rabbit starts talking? Okay, whatever.
A giant rabbit starts talking with an incredibly creepy, diabolical voice, foretelling that the end of the world will occur in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds? Oooooookay, whatever.
So, when Coraline receives instructions on how to undo the evil magic of the anti-mother from the Other World, it comes in the form of whispers in her dreams. Yes, I suppose the story gives me hints as to who is supplying those instructions; still, the Deus was a bit too ex machina for my taste.
Hey, that's my problem. If you know yourself to be a dream story lover, then ignore everything negative you've read here, and grab a copy of Coraline as quick as you can. This strange little gem is for you.
-The Fredösphere