Book Reviews

The Beach (Alex Garland)

Twenty-something Brit Richard is travelling in Asia when he is given a map by the mysterious Mr Duck, which points to an unspoiled beach. There, Richard finds a society, but as he integrates himself into their Edenic world, tensions begin to rise and the beach's dark side is revealed.

Despite what the premise would suggest, The Beach is not a thriller. In fact, things appear to be going quite well for Richard for about three quarters of the book, with only a few nods to what is to come. From what I know about Garland's other work- particularly the brilliant films Ex Machina and Annihilation- this appears to be a common theme. For me, this has given The Beach the odd quality of becoming darker and much more disturbing the longer I think about it, with what seemed to be innocent exchanges taking on an insidious nature.

The dark aspects of the book are only increased by the unreliability of our narrator. Richard sees the world (and so, the novel suggests, do all of us) as what he wants it to be, even its vices. His narration is so warped by opinion, in fact, that his insanity is unnoticeable until it is pointed out by his hallucinated companion. Richard is not written to be likeable, and yet he is. He is aggressively human, and none of his actions, thoughts, or desires are left unquestioned, even those he'd rather ignore. This makes him a relatable, everyman sort of character, and helps to enhance his later peril.

Short chapters and ever-boiling tensions make The Beach compulsively readable and eventually haunting. It can be examined and analysed (it has opinions on accessible media, communism, war, and globalism) or taken as a romping adventure- or perhaps read twice, doing one each time? 

If Michael Palin's travel writing had been influenced by William Golding, something like The Beach may have come of it. 

Have I made my enthusiasm for this book clear enough yet? You should read it, and never watch the film, ever.