Asher Wolf

A man returns to his childhood home for a funeral and is drawn to the farm where he met Lettie Hempstock, a remarkable girl, and her family when he was seven years old. Memories come flooding back, revealing a past too strange and frightening for anyone, let alone a small boy. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a groundbreaking work that showcases the power of storytelling to reveal and shelter us from darkness. This poignant tale, told with rare understanding of what makes us human, is both delicate and menacing. With bonus features such as a meet with the author, a reading group guide, and an interview, this book is a must-read for anyone seeking a captivating story.

This book explores the unique ways in which human emotional evolution has been shaped by the primatologically unique length of human childhood. Starting somewhere in Africa more than a million years ago, we discover how new forms of care for offspring led to new ways of engaging with and understanding each other. Ultimately, the anthropological research shows that it takes an entire village to raise a child and how this gave our ancestors the first push towards becoming emotionally modern humans. This well-researched and compelling book is an intricate argument that sheds light on the origins of human capacity for empathy and understanding.