The Beach

Description

This is a classic story of paradise found - and lost. 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?

Reviews

A gripping adventure, and a fascinating jigsaw - The Times

Fresh, fast-paced, compulsive and clever - Nick Hornby

A white-knuckle ride into the heart of darkness Sunday Times Lord of the Flies and The Magus lurk at the roots of this novel, but Garland reshapes them with panache into something terrifyingly new -Mail on Sunday

A mesmerising, knuckle-clenching read - Maxim Winningly

compulsive, brilliantly conceived - Q

Garland's prose is stunningly lucid. Addictive and compelling - Spectator

A highly confident debut...this incisive novel may well come to be regarded as a defining text in the history of imaginative travel writing - Daily Telegraph

Alex Garland is writing a brand new kind of adventure novel. His style is dangerously simple yet altogether captivating - Douglas Rushkoff

An exceptional first novel...An action novel that provokes subtle responses, The Beach takes in ideas about man's inevitable progress from noble savage to social breakdown (and) the related tradition of nature versus art - The Times Literary Supplement

 

Author description

Alex Garland was born in London in 1970.He has written two novels, The Beach (1996), The Tesseract (1998) and an illustrated novella, The Coma (2003), in collaboration with his father. He has also written three screenplays, 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Never Let Me Go.