Book: Gaiman, Neil. Coraline (2002)

[seraphcelene]

Coraline moves into a new apartment with her distracted parents. Curious, smart and very much a kid she gets a little bored. Her father tells her to count, among other things, all of the doors in the house. There are fourteen.

Thirteen doors open and close. One door is locked.

Thirteen doors lead into other parts of the house or out of doors. One door does not.



I read Coraline back in 2002 right after it was released. A friend who worked as an editor at Penguin had a copy that she let me borrow but refused to let me keep. To this day I'm not sure why considering that I was a bigger fan of Gaiman who she'd never read although she was aware of him.

Coraline is as brilliantly creepy now as it was back in 2002. Coraline is a great character. Perfectly kidish without being obnoxious. The cat and the Other Mother are equally awesome. Although the story starts out a little stilted it doesn't take long for Gaiman to find his stride and churn out a lovely and atmospheric adventure that builds and builds to its conclusion. Gaiman does a great job of skewing the world ever so slightly and then slowly revealing the horrific truth behind the lie. As the story progresses it's like peeling back layers to the rotten core. Coraline is skin crawling and chilling at times, always inventive and fresh. Buttons have a whole new and much darker meaning.

Comments

[chrisleeoctaves.livejournal.com]

My son is a HUGE Coraline fan and can't wait to see the movie! I think, based on what you've said about the book, I might have to read it.

[seraphcelene]

Oh, do read it! The first time that I read it I wasn't expecting it to be quite as creepy as it was. A charmingly delicious, shivery tale.

[diachrony.livejournal.com]

I haven't yet read 'Coraline' - so very behind on my desired reading list - but I wondered what you thought of the film, especially considering this review (http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2009/04/trouble-with-coraline.html).

[seraphcelene]

Hey cupcake,

I haven't seen the movie yet, much to my dismay. As usual, I kept planning to go and never quite made it. I will definitely read the review once I do get to see the film. Coraline is totally worth the read. :)

[seraphcelene]

Hey, I finally saw the movie and I totally agree. The end was terribly disappointing. I was rather surprised by the sudden change and totally didn't see the point of it. It really ruins, overall, the themes behind the story and undermines Coraline's ingenuity and independence. Otherwise, I really enjoyed it. I'm not a fan of 3-D so I watched it twice: once in 3D and once in 2D. It's beautiful and creepy and the Other Mother is awesome. Until that ending. That ending!