“Why do you think she’s scared of anything? She’s a grown-up, isn’t she? Grown-ups and monsters aren’t scared of things.”
“Oh, monsters are scared,” said Lettie. “That’s why they’re monsters. And as for grown-ups…” She stopped talking, rubbed her freckled nose with a finger. Then, “I’m going to tell you something important. Grown-ups don’t look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they’re big and thoughtless and they always know what they’re doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. The truth is, there aren’t any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world.” She thought for a moment. Then she smiled. “Except for Granny, of course.”
Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane (2012)
Image: Cyclops by Odilon Redon (Wikimedia)
The Emerald City Book Review Archive 
Love the art … and the excerpt is wonderful. Makes me want to read this book. 🙂
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I recommend it! It made me want to read more Gaiman as well.
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Great image with that quote! Neil Gaiman is appealing to me more every time I read about him on someone’s blog.
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I was hesitant to read a book labeled as “horror,” but I do like Gaiman’s way of handling it — he goes into the darkness in order to help us find the light.
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I agree that quote is great and makes me want to know more about the speaker.
I also agree that the cover is fantastic. Oddly enough I been a bit interested in mythical Cyclopses lately and have even been looking at some art depicting them.
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Perhaps I should clarify that the image is not from the book cover, but one I picked up on the theme of “monsters.” I do think it goes along with the dreamlike mood of the book.
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Beautiful image and great quote!
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It’s a marvelous little book. I love Gaiman’s modern take on ancient folklore.
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