Do you ever just rush through a classic and completely miss the forest for the trees? I owe Hoffmann a big apology. For a second reading, The Sand Man holds up incredibly well. I'll dare even say it's a FAR better read than the first one.

Entire paragraphs which initially seemed banal suddenly feel incredibly important and written with the uttermost care. The Sandman is not just the story of someone going crazy, it's the story of a man who can't seem to distinguish between reality and illusion anymore. It also anticipates AI, studies on PTSD and feels amazingly modern in every way.

The Sand Man is actually a masterpiece, I just couldn't see it because I'm too stubborn for my own good. How many other classics am I missing out on because I missed the point?