Coraline

Coraline is a 2002 novella by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean, and published by Bloomsbury. It is a dark contemporary fairy tale that follows Coraline Jones, a curious and independent girl who moves with her family into an old house in rural Oregon. The story blends fairy-tale motifs with unsettling gothic imagery and centers on resilience, curiosity, and the boundary between fantasy and danger.

One day Coraline discovers a secret door that opens to an alternate universe that mirrors her own, where her Other Mother and Other Father offer attentiveness and novelty but demand a terrible price. The Other World is enticing yet sinister, and button-eyed versions of her parents pressure her to stay. When her real parents vanish and the souls of other trapped children surface, Coraline must rely on courage, ingenuity, and an unlikely ally—the resident cat—to outsmart the Other Mother and navigate a perilous bargain to rescue everyone.

The novella is noted for its atmospheric prose, inventive imagery, and themes dealing with neglect, autonomy, and growing up. Gaiman’s concise, suspenseful storytelling is complemented by McKean’s dark, collage-like illustrations, which reinforce the book’s eerie mood and sense of wonder.

Coraline received widespread critical acclaim and won the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 2003. It was adapted into a 2009 stop-motion animated film by Laika, directed by Henry Selick and featuring Dakota Fanning as Coraline. The film preserves the core premise and visuals, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.