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e a s t c o u n t y l e a d e r
november 2013
3
“Neil Gaiman’s 2013 novel ‘The Ocean at the End
of the Lane’ lets the dark in, as seen through the eyes of
a 7-year-old boy. A malevolent force, older than time,
manifests itself as Ursula Monkton, a nanny with an
agenda. If you’re just a boy, who will believe you?
“Enter the neighbors, the Hempstock women — grand-
mother, mother and daughter Lettie — all richly written
characters with sass (a la “Steel Magnolias”) and more
than a bit of mystery about them.
“In supernatural fashion, the Hempstock women are
not ordinary farm maidens. They know before something
happens. Odd-eyed cats visit.
“I loved the author’s fearless approach to redefining
what goes bump in the night. What you think you know,
you don’t. What should make sense, doesn’t. This uncer-
tainty adds to the overall reading experience.
“Lettie in particular, will hook you into the family’s
secrets as she protects her new friend and young charge
in this fable of facing fear together.”
— Jill Bradley
City of Gresham, Department of Environ-
mental Services
“Short Nights
of the Shadow
Catcher:
the Epic Life and
Immortal Photographs
of Edward Curtis”
By Timothy Egan
‘The Ocean at the
End of the Lane’
by Neil Gaiman
What’s on your
nightstand
?
What Gresham’s bibliophiles and bookworms are reading
“Who knows what would have happened in 1896, if Edward Curtis
hadn’t looked beyond the one-eyed old crone to see nobility in Seattle’s
‘last Indian.’
“Tim Egan’s book about photographer Edward Curtis (I had no idea
the famous photographer was from Seattle), relates the life story of the
driven, frustrated man who set out to take art-quality photos of Native
Americans.
“Curtis, described as the ‘Indiana Jones’ of photographers, spent
months living with tribes, first engaging their dogs, then working his
way up to people and finally, into the core of their lives, before he was
allowed to take the photos that would be a ‘definitive archive of the
American Indian.’
“His timing was perfect and also, lousy. He got his pictures before a
way of life ended, but there was little market when he was done in the
1930s. Today, though, a Curtis photo is priceless.
“Now that everyone with a smart phone is a photographer, Egan’s
story reveals what it was to load pounds of equipment on your back and
set out into the wild.
“A great read for history buffs, photographers and students of the
American Indian.”
— Sharon Nesbit
Outlook columnist
BOOKS
Gresham • 2370 SE Burnside Avenue • 503-666-2624
434869.ECL1113
