The Beach

By: Alex Garland

Narrated by: Alfie Allen

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Beach by Alex Garland, read by Alfie Allen.

The classic story of paradise found - and lost.

Richard lands in East Asia in search of an earthly utopia. In Thailand, he is given a map promising an unknown island, a secluded beach - and a new way of life. What Richard finds when he gets there is breathtaking: more extraordinary, more frightening than his wildest dreams.

But how long can paradise survive here on Earth? And what lengths will Richard go to in order to save it?

Critic reviews

A gripping adventure, and a fascinating jigsaw

Fresh, fast-paced, compulsive and clever (Nick Hornby)

A white-knuckle ride into the heart of darkness

Lord of the Flies and The Magus lurk at the roots of this novel, but Garland reshapes them with panache into something terrifyingly new

A mesmerising, knuckle-clenching read

Winningly compulsive, brilliantly conceived

Garland's prose is stunningly lucid. Addictive and compelling

A highly confident debut...this incisive novel may well come to be regarded as a defining text in the history of imaginative travel writing

Alex Garland is writing a brand new kind of adventure novel. His style is dangerously simple yet altogether captivating (Douglas Rushkoff)

An exceptional first novel...An action novel that provokes subtle responses, The Beach takes in ideas about man's inevitable progress from noble savage to social breakdown (and) the related tradition of nature versus art

Must read before you die

Alex Garland paints the journey of a young man in search of a form of paradise. The main character dances off of the pages and haunts the reader/listener long after travelling with him on his journey. The world Garland creates is authentic to the point that one gets trapped in it for a short while and wonders if Garland isn't merely retelling a personal experience. The element of surrealism and the exploration of the main character's subconscious is as fantastical as it is disturbing. "The Beach" is an investigation of a young man's conscious, self-identified 'want' and the uncomfortable discovery of his subconscious 'need'. Garland's work is captivating to say the least.

Loved the English

All in all an extremely well written book. Didn't care about the characters that much, but I loved the book for the witty language.