Review of Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Coraline by Neil Gaiman is a creepy, horror novel for middle-grade students. Young Coraline has just moved into a new apartment, and her parents are much too busy working to pay much attention to her. She spends her time exploring the grounds, until one rainy day keeps her inside. While exploring her new apartment, she comes upon a locked door, which leads to a parallel world next door. This alternate world is inhabited by facsimiles of people she knows, including replicas of her parents who have unnerving button eyes instead of real eyes. As Coraline explores further into this alternate world, she discovers that her “other mother” has not only stolen her parents but other children as well. What will Coraline do to free her family and escape from the evil “other mother”?

Image

Image of Coraline by Neil Gaiman. McKean, D. (2002). [Cover image of Coraline]. Retrieved from https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/coraline-10th-anniversary-edition/9780380807345-item.html

Evaluation

The setting of Coraline is one of the novel’s strengths. Set in two parallel worlds, it is easy for the reader to compare Coraline’s real world with the nightmarish alternate world through the bricked-up doorway. At first, everything seems the same. The view from Coraline’s bedroom window is identical to that in her real house, but the colors of her bedroom are off, and it’s not a place Coraline would want to sleep. The house, though, is more interesting that the boring one she’s left behind. The interesting bits are contained to the house, though, as Coraline soon realizes, when she tries to explore outside her “other house.” There is simply not much there. The trees are not so much trees as likenesses of trees with gray-brown trunks and green smudges for leaves. As Coraline keeps exploring, “the world she was walking through was a pale nothingness, like a blank sheet of paper or an enormous, empty white room” (Gaiman, 2002, p. 73). The edges of the alternate world fade away, but the core pieces are very realistic. The world that Gaiman creates is terrifying precisely because it is so similar to that of the real world, and the setting sets the tone for the novel.

Gaiman is a master of character development, even in a short novel such as Coraline. The protagonist, Coraline, is very brave, fighting against an evil that she doesn’t know or fully understand. Once Coraline realizes that her other mother has captured her parents, she knows she must return to the other world to save them. Coraline tries to get help from her neighbors and the police, but when they dismiss her, she heads back to the alternate world on her own, noting that “when you’re scared but you still do it anyway, that’s brave” (Gaiman, 2002, p. 59). One of the secondary characters is a cat, which is surprisingly well-developed. When Coraline asks the cat’s name, the cat replies: “Now, you people have names. That’s because you don’t know who you are. We know who we are, so we don’t need names” (Gaiman, 2002, p. 37). From the very start of the book, the cat knows exactly the evil that is the other mother, while it takes Coraline much longer to come to that realization. The other mother is a stereotypical villain, who manages to trick youngsters into giving her their souls by claiming to love them. As Coraline realizes, the other mother “loved Coraline as a miser loves money, or a dragon loves its gold…she was a possession, nothing more” (Gaiman, 2002, p. 106). The realistic characters in the novel make the story believable.

Another strength of Coraline are the numerous unexpected insights. The novel is chilling and horrifying, yet the characters are constantly making observations that give insight into the human experience. At one point, Coraline and the cat find themselves in the alternate world, created by Coraline’s “other mother.” Coraline remarks that it’s a small world, and the cat’s witty reply is that “it’s big enough for her… Spiders’ webs only have to be large enough to catch flies” (Gaiman, 2002, p. 75). The cat wryly makes the connection between the creepy “other mother” and a spider, both of which are trying to catch their prey in a web. In this spooky other world, Coraline is given everything her heart desires. Her other mother’s food is delicious, she has the most wonderful toys, and nothing is boring. However, Coraline realizes that “I don’t want whatever I want. Nobody does. Not really. What kind of fun would it be if I just got everything I ever wanted?” (Gaiman, 2002, p. 120). Coraline recognizes that part of life’s enjoyment is working for the things you get; if you are given everything on a silver platter, you don’t get the feeling of accomplishment you do for working hard for something. Throughout Coraline, Gaiman’s unexpected insights share much about humanity.

Response

As I read Coraline, I was struck by the fact that Coraline is drawn into the alternate world created by the “other mother” because she was bored and her parents never had time for her. I firmly believe that kids should be bored because boredom lets them explore and create on their own. The problem here is that Coraline’s parents never seem to have time for her. The other mother becomes Coraline’s idealized version of a mother, one who cooks, provides engaging toys, and clearly dotes on her daughter. But at what cost? As a mother, I feel like I need to remain tuned in to my own kids and pay attention to them, not because there’s an evil alternate world out there, but because that’s what kids need – parents who pay attention and connect to them, while still giving them space to be bored. I also love that Coraline is courageous and determined to save her parents, even when she doesn’t feel brave. This speaks to the strong family ties that Coraline has and also illustrates her intense resourcefulness. We often have reserves of strength that we don’t realize we have until we are tested. As a work of art, Coraline was immensely entertaining, especially for kids who love scary stories, while also analyzing different aspects what it means to be human.

Conclusion

Neil Gaiman’s Coraline is a well-written, deeply spooky story that is perfect for middle-grade audiences who enjoy being scared. The setting sets the tone of this spine-chilling tale, alternating between our known world and an “other” world that is just slightly different. The characters, especially Coraline and the cat, are extremely well-developed, so that the reader can relate to them, and the “other mother” is an archetypal villain. Finally, Gaiman’s unexpected insights allow the reader to think more deeply about humanity and the human experience. Coraline is a truly scary novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat, wanting to know what happens next and whether Coraline can save anyone from the evil clutches of her other mother. I loved Coraline and recommend it to students aged 9-12; this novel is perfect for fans of Spirit Hunters and Nightmares! 4 stars.

Citations

Gaiman, N. (2002). Coraline. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

McKean, D. (2002). [Cover image of Coraline]. Retrieved from https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/coraline-10th-anniversary-edition/9780380807345-item.html

Oh, E. (2017). Spirit Hunters. New York, NY: Harper.

Segel, J. and Miller, K. (2014). Nightmares! New York, NY: Delacorte Press.