The Beach by Alex Garland – a book review

 

I picked up this book right after I finished reading 1984 by George Orwell and what a contrast. Uncomplicated, purely prose, just a little more than a travelogue. 440 pages were gone in no time. Alex Garland’s first novel is about those who are not just seeking adventure, but are tired of the popular and mundane ones; they really want to get away from the crowd. They are impulsive – a much needed quality for the adventurous and they’re ready to brave it out and face the consequences, at least they think so, at least most of them.

So, when a map of an unheard of, undiscovered beach is thrust upon Richard, a young backpacking traveler in Thailand, in inexplicable circumstances, he and a young couple from France who he’s just met grab the opportunity and venture out seeking the place. Had I not watched enough YouTube videos on adrenaline junkies undertaking absolutely difficult extreme sports and making them look like a walk in the park, I would have found Richard and his lot's risking their lives only to try something new and/or get away from the crowd a little too incredible. But I respect the craziness of the adventure seekers; they aren’t the convention, they aren’t the norm; crazy is good, normal is boring. Easier said than done though.

What shouldn’t have been shared with him in the first place, Richard makes the mistake of sharing the map of the arcane beach with a few others even before he sets out to discover it. And that is a grave mistake. The story is about finding the beach that the few inhabitants who have chanced upon it and have made it their home call Eden or paradise. Rather it is their world for that's exactly what they call it, keeping no contact with the outside world except for necessities. They have become hunters and gatherers again, though evolved ones. Richard and his friends do find the beach and the story extends with the narrating of their lives on the beach, followed by uncalled for adventure and the unfolding of some truly gruesome events that show that as humans, we never really let go of our flaws completely, no matter where we are and how we think; they peep and poke when the situation is grave and the consequences are dire.

I usually don’t read books of this kind; don’t remember the last time I read one like this. However, it is an ideal pick when you’re travelling, a light book to read - no thinking, no analyzing, no analogies, no allegories, just a following of one thing leading to another and yet I don’t regret having spent time reading this adventure filled story. Quite nicely arranged; no wonder, the plot was grabbed for a movie. 

My rating – 3.5/5

Picture copyrights:

Cover - https://medium.com/@errolshakespeare_56411/exploring-desire-and-consequences-in-the-beach-by-alex-garland-5e6508400ac9

Alex Garland - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0307497/