The Beach

You ever look back at something you read 15 or 20 years ago and have that “A-Ha” moment.
Not the ridiculously good band from the eighties A-Ha, but the mind-altering epiphany moment when you realize that a plot point that was salient to the whole freaking novel zoomed right the hell over your head. Yup, I had one of those.

I read this book when I was right out of high school and entirely in love with the idea of a wild wonderland of paradise filled with gorgeous people and no responsibility. I wanted to see, do, and experience life. I still do, but those ideas are now tempered with age, trust, hopefully, some integrity. When I saw the Leonardo movie when it came out and thought what an incredible view plus the utterly kick-ass soundtrack helped. Anyone like the group VAST? Still one of my favorites. I thought to myself that this was entirely a must read. It will change my life, and maybe I could envelop a little of this wild abandon that I so desperately yearned for.The problem was that when I read the novel, I was left unsettled and feeling dirty. It felt like someone had taken my brain and used it to scour pans for an afternoon. The book was like a beautiful Honey Crisp apple sitting on a shelf, but when you cut into it.The apple had a rotten core filled with maggots. It had not lived up to my fantasies. I felt gypped and thought it poorly written drivel. What was actually weak, was my perspective and understanding of life beyond my hometown. “The Beach” has nothing to do with paradise, but the outlook on what actually constitutes paradise and the darkness in people and the lengths of which one would go to protect it. It is a smart book, and subtle in its narration. Its overall gravitas was not something I could appreciate at the time, but it is something that I can look back on now and understand. One of the key things that garland does it keep the undercurrents flowing within the language of the everyday life of the travelers. He describes the day to day tasks that they need to accomplish; Fishing, farming, and partying. While subtly hinting at the darker parts of the characters psyches. Reminds me of a much less ham-fisted and more eloquent “lord of the Flies,” but for a much older audience. In the end, the characters are scarred both mentally and physically. If you are looking for a book that tears you up inside a bit, look no further. It is worth the second read, especially if you have some life experiences behind you.