Book info

• Title The Beach
• Author Alex Garland
• Year 1996
• Genre Thriller

Richard lands in East Asia in search of an earthly utopia. In Thailand, he is given a map promising an unknown island, a secluded beach - and a new way of life. What Richard finds when he gets there is breathtaking: more extraordinary, more frightening than his wildest dreams. But how long can paradise survive here on Earth? And what lengths will Richard go to in order to save it?

Thoughts

The Beach is another book that I’ve read several times, and really enjoy it. It’s been a while since the last outing, though, so I had mostly forgotten the intricate twists and turns that the story takes. What’s brilliant about it is how subtly things go wrong. An island dream paradise, with fellow travellers who all work and play and get along together.

You know it can never last, but just how it all unravels is brilliant, terrifying, unnerving, all of the above. The writing is excellent, sucking you in so that it’s not quite a page-turner but it keeps you immersed in the protagonist’s view.

Great characters, unusual behaviours and plenty of action along the way, The Beach is a book I have read many times and will many times in the future!

Rating: 5 / 5