Book Review | Coraline by Neil Gaiman

A tale of locked doors, dancing rats and a magical world, Neil Gaiman takes you on a horrific adventure in Coraline.

I'm the biggest fan of the film, Coraline. Like any other kid, I was terrified the first time I watched it. But as time went on and I watched the movie over and over again, I grew to enjoy and love it. At 20 years old, I can proudly say that it is one of my favourite movies.

The skill and talent that went into making the film are phenomenal. It blew me away when I found out it was a stop-motion film! I was convinced they were lying until I saw behind-the-scenes footage of all the different Coraline heads with their own unique expressions.

I decided to take this love of mine further and read the book. I first read this in 2020 so this is my second time re-reading Coraline.

About Coraline

Coraline is an 11-year-old explorer. The Joneses have just moved into a new home and Coraline is determined to scout every nook and cranny in her neighbourhood. However, the weather's been wet and dreary and Coraline has no choice but to stay home.

She explores her new home instead, counting the windows and all things blue, when she discovers a tiny door.

What Coraline finds behind the door is a bricked-up wall but she's going to discover new mysteries that lay behind it. With dancing rats and a magical world, Coraline will go through the adventure of a lifetime.

Differences Between The Film And The Book

Since I'm a film-to-book reader (in this rare instance), I'll just go through the main differences between the two forms of media to let any movie-watcher know before they are turned off.

• Wybie (short for Wyborn) is not in the book. Most of his roles are replaced by the cat.

• All the animals can talk in the other world, not just the cat.

• The other garden is not built in the book (nor is the garden in the real world, in fact).

And there are a few other minor changes such as a mix of sequences of the scenes, but it doesn't make a big difference to the plot.

Coraline Review

Obviously, I loved the storyline.

I also found myself enjoying the characters more in the book. The characters are better explored in the book because I get to understand Coraline’s thought process and motives behind her actions. It really solidified the reasoning behind what she did and closed the story wonderfully.

The other characters were just as interesting. The Other Mother had more depth to her character and she was an interesting one to understand and analyse.

Neil Gaiman also has written some beautiful words. I was teleported into this world he created. The book was interesting and immersive. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend my time with Coraline as she explored this newfound world of hers.

Coraline is a children's horror book. And I felt that the horror was perfectly executed. It created suspense for the reader but it wasn't overly scary for the average 9-year-old reading this. However, I would not recommend reading the copy with the illustrations at night because the drawings gave me goosebumps. They were eerie. Props to Chris Riddell for the source of my nightmares.

My Recommendation

★★★★☆ (4/5)

I really enjoyed Coraline. The pacing of the book is perfect to keep the little ones engaged, and so mesmerising! This book is perfect for older kids as it demonstrates the importance of bravery and curiosity.

And if you're a movie-lover like me, you'll definitely enjoy the written copy of Coraline.

About Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman has written highly acclaimed books for both children and adults and is the first author to have won the Carnegie and Newbery Medals for the same work — The Graveyard Book. Many of his books, including Coraline and Stardust, have been made into films; Neverwhere has been adapted for TV and radio; and American Gods and Good Omens have been adapted into major TV series. He has also written two amazing episodes of Doctor Who and appeared in The Simpsons as himself.