Again, I find myself in the minority. The book isn't bad, but, to be honest, if you didn't know already, you'd be able to tell from the way it is written 1) the author is male 2) the author is around 40 3) this is a first novel.

It's not bad, if you like books written by young-ish middle class white males, living in a Utopia that would only be Utopia for middle class white males (though, surprisingly, it wasn't full of sex, which would have only added to the sense that this is a male's fantasy novel).

There are a lot of "hallucination" scenes throughout the novel which seem to detract from the story because you don't find out why on earth they are there. The main character smokes pot, not heroin or acid, or whatever, so there is no "drug" reason for the escapes from reality; which leaves one wondering if the guy is supposed to be insane. But he doesn't act insane... so, again, why the hallucinations/fantasies/forgetfulness...

I'm glad I finished it, but I kinda wish I hadn't wasted my evening reading it. ( )

One of my all-time favorite books. Young man is given secret information to a self-sufficient society living in seclusion on an island. Things are not as idyllic as they same when he goes to live there. ( )

It keeps you on edge from the beginning. Very good. Quite shocking towards the end. ( )

Disregard the cheesy movie with Leo Dicaprio. This book should be on the classics list of any suspense/horror fan. The main character travels through Thailand and a man tells him about a secret island right before he takes his own life. Or course he must find this island and does.... but paradise soon turns into a nightmare. I especially loved all the pop-culture references throughout. Alex Garland got a raw deal by having one of his early books turned into such a horrible movie. I hope this doesn't dishearten him from writing. ( )

Looking for a good read that will constantly keep you guessing what happens next? Then you should try The Beach; a story about an English traveler in Bangkok named Richard who meets a man named Daffy who leaves Richard a map of a how to get to “the Beach” before killing himself. Richard, along with a French couple he meets in his hotel decide to make the journey and try to find the Beach; curious as to what it could be since the island it is located on is off limits to tourists. They take a boat to an island nearest the Beach and then use a raft to get to the next island. Upon arrival, they are confused because there is no one around, so they decide to trek across the island and try and find it. Along the way, they discover they are in the midst of a dope field with guards patrolling everywhere. They make it past the field and are able to find the beach. Richard struggles to understand how it has been kept so secret while enjoying the wonderful life of the Beach. However, Richard quickly learns that there are disadvantages to being there and figures out that the Beach is not always what it seems...
The Beach is a utopian world for everyone that lives there. They sleep, smoke, drink, play soccer and do one job a day. It seems as if life can’t get any better than the Beach, no outside world to worry about, just friends and good fun. However, it also has dystopian qualities such as exclusion, insanity and even death. Alex Garland sends the message to readers that even what seems to be a perfect world has its flaws; reminding readers that reality and the rest of the world is never too far away. The Beach is a utopian world with dystopian aspects that make the book impossible to put down, just when you think everything is perfect, a new twist is added and you are left guessing yet again.
Overall, I thought that this was an incredible book and probably one of my new favorites. It’s a good change from old and difficult to read literature; it’s a fun read with a modern twist and easy I found it easy to relate to many of the emotions the characters were feeling. Anyone who is looking for an unpredictable and addictive book should consider reading The Beach, I promise you will not be disappointed. ( )