Uncommon and artfully crafted. Steeped in the flavor of ethereal folklore and modern reminiscence, this story has the potential to linger like a melody just outside of memory's grasp. 
 This is a quick, light fantasy read. Once you get past the first 35 pages of setup and stay more in the flashback, the story gets pretty engaging. It called to mind the fantastical morbidity of something like 'Spirited Away' or 'Lady in the Water'...only more disturbing. >.> (I do apologize for using movies to describe the atmospheric sense of a book theme, but these were the closest examples I could come to.) 
 The writing, though kept simplistic throughout most of it--as seen through the eyes of a 7-year-old boy--is rich with a boundless sort of British charm and a more universal reach for profundity. While the vast majority of the story centers around a relatively brief incident in his childhood, this is not what one could safely call a children's story. I'd generally rate it PG-13 due to sexual content and the degree of distressing imagery. (So those who may have thought this an innocuous bedtime story for their elementary-aged child, consider yourself forewarned.) 
 I'd dare say this is a fairytale for jaded adults longing for the wonderment they've lost. 
 The only notable detraction for this reviewer was found in the adult-version of the main character--the middle-aged divorcee artist. Readers aren't offered much of a sense for him in the now, as most of the story's focus is poured into the child edition of him. You get the idea he has children of his own, but their existence, along with his apparently failed marriage, don't seem any part of his thought life. His goals/passions at the current stage in his life are never referenced, and it's not clear if that's because he's adrift as a man who's forgotten a matchless adventure...or if he's simply underdeveloped. 
 All in all, it did pique my interest in exploring more of Gaiman's works. 
 Favorite Quote: 
 *"Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them are things people are scared of. Some of them are things that look like things people used to be scared of a long time ago. Sometimes monsters are things people should be scared of, but aren't."