Neil Gaiman's Coraline

 Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Coraline pulp fiction by Mike Baker CC BY NC SA 2.0via Flickr

Author Neil Gaiman by nrkbeta, CC BY-SA 2.0  via Wikimedia Commons

I just finished Coraline by Neil Gaiman, and I really enjoyed this book. The book was actually recommended for my son. His teacher noticed that he was reading “questionable” books, and this was one of the recommendations I put on hold through my library app. When the book was made available, I downloaded it and shared it with my son, but he was a little scared to read it. I think he thought it might be a horror novel. After reading it, I wouldn’t say that it was a scary novel, but it was definitely strange. The book is more like horror lite or pre-horror—something that I would have loved as a younger kid. I felt like this book shared some similarities with other books about kids on their own. The story is about Coraline, a young girl who lives with her parents in a flat that was a part of a larger house that has been renovated and divided into different flats. As an old, remodeled building, it has some oddities, like the door that goes nowhere. There’s also an old room that Coraline is forbidden from entering. These oddities and forbidden elements create a kind of mysterious tone, which allows Coraline to explore her environment during a week off from school. In some ways, Coraline reminded me of Where the Wild Things Are, where Max is banished to his room and ends up in another land where he has more agency and control over his world. Coraline doesn’t seem as angry or destructive as Max, but she does seem to want more from her world, questioning her father’s culinary decisions and seeking to learn more about her apartment building. One of the strengths of this book are the odd characters, especially the older women who live in another flat. However, the inverse or mirror world that Gaiman describes was my favorite part. It is so odd and creative, and creepy. I loved the way this world looked and operated. I read the interview with Gaiman at the end of this copy of the book, and it was interesting to learn that he initially wrote the story for his oldest daughter, but it never got to the page until his younger daughter was about the age of Coraline. He wanted to tell a creepy and odd story, but one that was ideal for younger children, and I think that this book really fits that bill. Coraline discovers a world behind her mirror where her other mother lives. She, like her other father, has buttons on her eyes, and desperately wants Coraline to remain in this world. Coraline at first seems intrigued, wanting to discover more of this world, but realizing that there’s not much more than the apartment building. In fact, as she discovers the other flats, they are filled with some strange and creepy elements. I won’t reveal them here, but Coraline’s quest to escape the mirror world and her other mother was the best part of the book, in my opinion. This was a quick and engaging read, one that wasn’t overly scary, but was incredibly creative and creepy, and enhanced by the great illustrations. I’m going to try to get my son to read this book, especially since he recently watched the movie. I would recommend this to both parents and kids, especially those who are looking for something on the odd and strange side. My only question about this book was the overall purpose. I realize that Gaiman was telling a story to entertain his daughter, but I also wondered if there was some other kind of moral or lesson to be learned. It didn’t seem as didactic as a book like Where the Wild Things Are or a movie like Home Alone, where Kevin feels excluded and wishes to be independent, but ultimately ends up appreciating his family. I think that Coraline’s experiences kind of awaken her more and she does appreciate her dad (and his cooking) more, but I wondered if I was missing a message in the story or not. Not all works need a message, and this was a fun and engaging story.