A book that changed my life; it is one of those things that can easily morph into a sickening procession of a cliché, with pathetic paragraphs where there is A LOT of gushing!!! Or it could be an intellectual analysis of the themes and matter of this extremely rich book. I’m going to do neither; I’ll simply convey to you why I love Alex Garland’s ‘The Beach’ in the hope that you might, god knows, understand? Relate? Enjoy? Whatever, as long as it makes you want to read it.

Insanity of human nature (don’t worry, not going all deep and meaningful on you, relax). Despite being an eternal pessimist I recognise the infinite good in man as a creature; but I’m not alone in preferring the exploration of the dark matrix that is spun by the same human mind; art created by the misfired neurone, a minute imbalance of essential hormones causing a cascade climaxing to the disaster of madness. And the beauty of it is that no matter how we intellectualize, analyse or reduce it to core principals of science we cannot understand it as a whole, not without sinking, if briefly into it. Without experience we are crippled and empathy is the best we can do.

Garland sinks you into the madness of his main character, Richard. You are immersed in the world of his pretty normal existence and are invited to watch with intrigue the unfolding of his insanity. Understand that this is not the theme; everyone takes what they want from it, whether it is the simile between Richard’s story and the Vietnam war or the way one culture is seen through the eyes of a foreigner. Please banish ALL thoughts of the movie (I should have said that first)…because the movie has NO RIGHT to carry the same title as the book. I am tempted to rant on about the dissimilarity of characters and actual plot (the film lacking one) but I’ll restrain myself.

The book is basically about Richard, who arrives in Thailand, not really looking for adventure as such, just chilling and going over familiar ground. Normality is crushed as he comes into possession of a map following the death of a fellow explorer. It shows him the way to ‘Eden’, a traveller’s paradise free of the ‘cancer’ of tourism. The book follows his journey to and arrival at ‘The Beach’ in the company of three friends. It also traces the ultimate destruction of paradise, the fall of ‘Eden’; inevitable with the presence of man. And did I not mention the madness? One of his companions is dead, and since ‘The Beach’ is no fantasy, there are no fairies, magic pixies or preternatural creatures. We can only assume that ghosts don’t exist and it is a manifestation of Richards’ fast declining mental state. Or can we? Because the way Garland writes the book you are left questioning rational beliefs core to our way of life.

So basically, do you want a challenging read that throws you before stunning scenery, zips you into the space occupied by a pretty cool, deep, worryingly normal character and batters you with fantastic metaphors of life? Or just want a really nice story that spins in your head for days? Heavy or light this book will satiate your appetite for a good read.

Verdict: 5/5