Blog > Book - The Beach

I first learnt about The Beach history in the 2000's movie. By that time my wife and me went to the cinema every Friday and/or Saturday. So we would not miss a movie release.

The movie left mixed feelings: could not help a taste of soap opera (much in the like of Melrose Place). But I saw things that I liked, for example the Duffy character (portrayed by Robert Carlyle) left a big impression, and the feeling that the character was more that was put in the film.

The book develops the relationship between Richard (the main character) and Duffy far more than what is seen in the movie. And the [lack of] sanity of Richard becomes a more interesting theme.

Yet the book fails to put a hook on me: I could not relate myself with the travellers that end up becoming the community at the beach. They all felt like born with a silver spoon in hand more; not someone with meager resources to pull their trip ahead.

About the structure of the book, I found funny the non-linear storytelling. For example the pages are not sequentially numbered. Instead they run 1-90, 139-186, 91-138, 187-250, 298-346, 251-297, 347-439; the situations are presented consequences first, event later. It builds the tension at the moment things happen.

About funny references within the book: there is a description of how to beat the final boss of the Sonic the Hedgehog videogame.

Also, the Tet festival, which is an important event in the book, takes the name of both a real festival, but also Tet is the name of a well-known military campaing from the Vietnam War: the Tet Offensive. Being at the beach is, for the main character, like a tour of duty during the Vietnam war.

A book more interesting that the movie, as usual.