Coraline Movie Tie-in Edition
by Neil Gaiman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Neil GaimanIllustrator: Dave McKean
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-10-28
ISBN: 0061649694
Number of pages: 176
Publisher: HarperFestival
Book Reviews of Coraline Movie Tie-in Edition
Book Review: Seen the Movie? Read the Book. And vice versa, and 5 Stars
When I first began seeing ads for a movie called "Coraline" I said to myself, now there's something Tim Burton must be involved in. The eerie, angular characters, the distorted sense of reality, the dark foreboding world the characters inhabit - all of these, to me at least, screamed Burton. But no. This delightfully oddball tale sprang from the mind of none other than Neil Gaiman, a writer with whom I'd been acquainted in-name-only for several years now. Gaiman first came to my attention by way of his association with H.P. Lovecraft, an author he and I share an immense appreciation for. I read his introduction to a collection of Lovecraft stories published by Del Rey and made a mental note to investigate his work. And then some years went by. While shopping at Walmart back in February, I came across a "book version" of this new movie I'd been hearing about, and lo, I recognized the author's name. It was now the proper time for Gaiman and I to get reacquainted.Coraline tells the story of young Coraline Jones, who relocates to a rather isolated old home who's large rooms and floors have been divided into flats. Her neighbors are, of course, a bit eccentric to say the least and young Coraline spends her first few days exploring the house, grounds and her neighbors and finally exhausts each of these in turn. What is that that is said about idle hands being the devil's workshop? Coraline, hoping for some playtime or at least playtime suggestions from her harried parents, stumbles upon the door to an alternate universe and there our story really takes off.
Within the first few pages I was struck by some minor yet noticeable allusions to that greatest of absurb, frightful children's tales: Alice In Wonderland. We have a secret entrance to a world where things don't quite make sense, and a Cheshire cat as our fearless, erm, guide. Their are further allusions along the way, but rest assured this is no mere copycat tale. Gaiman introduces his own brand of wicked vision, his own plot twists and turns, while still maintaining Carrol's sense of the absurd. And Gaiman's poem songs are superb.
I recently read a few of Gaiman's short stories from Smoke and Mirrors. These are earlier stories and while some are good, some, to me, show the writer still gaining his footing, attaining his voice. What is striking about Coraline, is the sureness of Gaiman's delivery. His sentence structure is now taught, his descriptions crisp and quick. In S&M, he mentions that one of the stories was inspired by his desire to create a Raymond Carver story. For those unfamiliar with Carver, he wrote in a very terse style, short sentences, deadly sharp, much in the manner of Hemingway. This is what we have here: Gaiman's style distilled to pure essence. Gone are the extensive adverbs and awkward asides that characterized lesser of his early stories.
Parents reading this with their children may be struck by the portrayal of Coraline's parents: two humdrum people, their minds perpetually entwined with a glowing pc monitor, their rumps perpetually ensnared in a computer chair. Anytime Coraline asks a question, she is left to feel that she is interrupting, that really her parents have no time for her. While I can sympathize w/ the parents at my ripe old 31 years of age, I can see where many children can identify with this scenario, seemingly screaming yet their parents hear not a peep. This also provides the perfect catalyst for Coraline's departure and initial acceptance of the "other" mother and father. Compared to the movie, I do feel that parts of Coraline's character reversal in terms of how she views each set of parents was a bit rushed, where it was allowed to develop more gradually in the movie thus seeming more realistic. This said, I must also say I feel that the movie version did a better job, overall, of presenting Gaiman's vision in a way I feel he actually intentioned. But while the movie is astounding, the book is a fabulous read as well. There are certain insights which Gaiman offers that came only be gleaned from perusing his prose.
In closing, I can't think of a book/movie adaption combo that better serve each other. If you've only read the book, be sure to see the movie; if you've only seen the movie, read the book. If you've done both, for heaven's sake, do it again!
Summary of Coraline Movie Tie-in Edition
When Coraline explores her new home, she steps through a door and into another house just like her own . . . except that it's different. It's a marvelous adventure until Coraline discovers that there's also another mother and another father in the house. They want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to keep her forever!
Coraline must use all of her wits and every ounce of courage in order to save herself and return home.
Coraline lives with her preoccupied parents in part of a huge old house--a house so huge that other people live in it, too... round, old former actresses Miss Spink and Miss Forcible and their aging Highland terriers ("We trod the boards, luvvy") and the mustachioed old man under the roof ("'The reason you cannot see the mouse circus,' said the man upstairs, 'is that the mice are not yet ready and rehearsed.'") Coraline contents herself for weeks with exploring the vast garden and grounds. But with a little rain she becomes bored--so bored that she begins to count everything blue (153), the windows (21), and the doors (14). And it is the 14th door that--sometimes blocked with a wall of bricks--opens up for Coraline into an entirely alternate universe. Now, if you're thinking fondly of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, you're on the wrong track. Neil Gaiman's Coraline is far darker, far stranger, playing on our deepest fears. And, like Roald Dahl's work, it is delicious.
What's on the other side of the door? A distorted-mirror world, containing presumably everything Coraline has ever dreamed of... people who pronounce her name correctly (not "Caroline"), delicious meals (not like her father's overblown "recipes"), an unusually pink and green bedroom (not like her dull one), and plenty of horrible (very un-boring) marvels, like a man made out of live rats. The creepiest part, however, is her mirrored parents, her "other mother" and her "other father"--people who look just like her own parents, but with big, shiny, black button eyes, paper-white skin... and a keen desire to keep her on their side of the door. To make creepy creepier, Coraline has been illustrated masterfully in scritchy, terrifying ink drawings by British mixed-media artist and Sandman cover illustrator Dave McKean. This delightful, funny, haunting, scary as heck, fairy-tale novel is about as fine as they come. Highly recommended. (Ages 11 and older) --Karin Snelson
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