Neil Gaiman: Coraline

Hi everyone

Believe it or not but this was my first time reading Neil Gaiman's Coraline; though I did see the movie when it first came out back in 2009. I remembered the story well, so the plot itself wasn’t a surprise. 
I read this on my e-reader.

"When Coraline steps through a door to find another house strangely similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous.
But there’s another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.
Coraline will have to fight with all her wits and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life." 

Honestly, I don’t think I would have liked this book as a child; even though it’s written for kids. I was an anxious child, and this story would have probably scared me more than entertained me. As an adult, though, it was… fine. Nothing special, to be honest.

The book lacked atmosphere for me. It felt too straightforward, like a checklist of events: one thing happens, then another, then another. There wasn’t much depth or lingering tension. And some parts just left me confused or frustrated. What was the point of the old neighbor and his mice? They felt random and didn’t add much to the story.
How did the hand just… 'come' over? That part really didn't make sense to me.
What child gets to choose something else to eat if they don’t like dinner? That felt unrealistic, even for a fantasy story. Though maybe that's the adult in me. :)
Coraline’s character was inconsistent. Sometimes she sounded way too wise for a child, and other times she acted like a typical kid. The shifts in tone and maturity were jarring and made it hard to connect with her.

All in all, Coraline was another mediocre read from Neil Gaiman for me. I can see why some people love it but it just didn’t click with me, neither as a child’s story nor as an adult’s.

Have you read Coraline or seen the movie? Did you enjoy it more than I did? I’d love to hear your thoughts; maybe I missed something!

Happy reading!
Helena