Whatever one could possibly say about this novel, it's definitely one you will continue thinking about even after having finished reading it. Not without cause has it been the Goodreads Choice 2013 Winner in the category Fantasy - it's an engaging tale of darkness about the demons of a childhood. Neil Gaiman's writing style is amazing as always, but the story itself is nothing but weird. Apart from a lot of metaphors, the story also included unrealistic, illogical phenomena, and while the characters worked for me, Gaiman did not allow them to have any kind of depth or remarkable personality. Lettie, the perfect girl from the neighborhood, was eleven years old, yet she represented wisdom and safety. *clears his throat* ... yes, totally realistic. 
 The aspect which bothered me even more was the novel's length. After I have recently read his short story The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains which might have had the potential to become a full-length novel, I felt the opposite about "The Ocean at the End of the Lane": that it would have worked better for me had it been written as a short story. But to be honest, my criticism originates mainly from my admiration for Neil Gaiman's marvelous writing abilities and my high expectations for this novel which have not been fulfilled in their entirety. 
 I will definitely continue reading novels and (short) stories by Neil Gaiman because of his abilities as a writer, but the plot respectively the message did not keep up with the level of the prose. However, I'll recommend reading this story, even if only for its creepiness and the beautiful way it is written. 
 Initial reaction [29th October 2015]: 
 I can't decide what to think of Gaiman's story, since while the writing itself has been beautiful as usual, the plot was quite confusing. And I'm wavering between two and four stars, so for the moment, it's a decent three-star-rating. More detailed review to come soon.