Here are the first paragraphs of the three books that I’m thinking about reading.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman:
It was only a duck pond, out at the back of the farm. It wasn’t very big.
Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore:
(Selected from the Great Big Book of Death: First Edition) 1. Congratulations, you have been chosen to act as Death, it’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it. It is your duty to retrieve soul vessels from the dead and dying and see them on to their next body. If you fail, Darkness will cover the world and Chaos will reign.
Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen:
Last December a woman entered my apartment who looked exactly like my wife. This woman casually closed the door behind her. In an oversized pale blue purse–Rema’s purse–she was carrying a russet puppy. I did not know the puppy. And the real Rema, she doesn’t greet dogs on the sidewalk, she doesn’t like dogs at all. The hayfeverishly fresh scent of Rema’s shampoo was filling the air and through that brashness I squinted at this woman, and at that small dog, acknowledging to myself only that something was extraordinarily wrong.
Which one sounds the most interesting and ought to be the first one that I read?
All three sound good. The last raises the most immediate questions for me, but I’ve been enjoying the Good Omens adaptation this summer, so I feel like that might bump Gaiman to the top.
My feelings exactly, so I started with Gaiman. It’s good and very unusual. If it ends well, it will be my second favorite Gaiman book.
Atmospheric Disturbances