Beach, The (Paperback)

Richard is a traveler from Europe who leaves everything behind him after being jilted by a lover. While in Thailand he meets a man who leaves him a map to a paradise beach. After deciding to share this treasure with two fellow travelers, they set off.

The journey to the beach is difficult for it is illegal for foreigners to go there, but after buying off a man who owns a boat and swimming a considerable distance they make it to the island. Before they even have time to enjoy their discovery, however, they land into danger when they discover that the island is used as sort of a mega-greenhouse for marijuana. They still decide to press on, though and after some time they find the fabled beach. A bit disappointed at first, they eventually grow to love the beach and the entire community of people they find living there. Integrating into the lifestyle there is done very quickly and before they know it, months have passed. Their languid, carefree lifestyle lulls them into a sense of false security, though, and they find themselves unprepared for the disasters that lay ahead.

Filled with pop culture references and very violent imagery this book may best appeal to the twenty-something generation. In a way that's a shame, though, because the story behind all of the icons and imagery is intense and enjoyable. At times the story gets almost too disgusting and graphic but none of it is gratuitous since it is all important to the plot.

I heavily recommend this book to all of the members of my generation and I also hope some of the younger and older generations will give it a chance too. I do feel that it is important, however, that you try to read it before you see the movie, because from what I've heard it seems like they have changed it quite a bit. Make sure to pick up a copy of this great book. Another book I need to recommend -- very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "THE LOSERS CLUB: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, funny, entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.

Richard is a traveler from Europe who leaves everything behind him after being jilted by a lover. While in Thailand he meets a man who leaves him a map to a paradise beach. After deciding to share this treasure with two fellow travelers, they set off.

The journey to the beach is difficult for it is illegal for foreigners to go there, but after buying off a man who owns a boat and swimming a considerable distance they make it to the island. Before they even have time to enjoy their discovery, however, they land into danger when they discover that the island is used as sort of a mega-greenhouse for marijuana. They still decide to press on, though and after some time they find the fabled beach. A bit disappointed at first, they eventually grow to love the beach and the entire community of people they find living there. Integrating into the lifestyle there is done very quickly and before they know it, months have passed. Their languid, carefree lifestyle lulls them into a sense of false security, though, and they find themselves unprepared for the disasters that lay ahead.

Filled with pop culture references and very violent imagery this book may best appeal to the twenty-something generation. In a way that's a shame, though, because the story behind all of the icons and imagery is intense and enjoyable. At times the story gets almost too disgusting and graphic but none of it is gratuitous since it is all important to the plot.

I heavily recommend this book to all of the members of my generation and I also hope some of the younger and older generations will give it a chance too. I do feel that it is important, however, that you try to read it before you see the movie, because from what I've heard it seems like they have changed it quite a bit. Make sure to pick up a copy of this great book. Another book I need to recommend -- very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "THE LOSERS CLUB: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, funny, entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.

Garland creates beautiful scenery, great scenes of psychological and mental exploration, while touching on the ideas of the past, peace and ostricisation. The main character can be seen in many different lights; as both an idiot and a hero, as insane or perfectly normal, driven by a force stronger than himself.

So why not five stars?

In parts of the book, Garland does tend to drag out the sequences with Mr. Duck (read to understand!), and at the end I found myself wondering about what certain characters were actually like; his development of the background characters could have been better.

Despite these downfalls, Garland creates an excellent, fast-paced novel with an extremely sinister and well created ending. Definately worth a read