Richard, backpacking around the globe in the great tradition of cheap travel, finds himself bedding down in Khao San Road, Bangkok. But his chance to rest briefly is suddenly and irrevocably destroyed when a perfect stranger called Mister Duck is killed in the room next door. Mister Duck had a secret - now it's Richard's. Armed with a map - and a name of great mystery and legend that possesses a simple majesty: Beach - our protagonist goes in search of a traveller's dream, a place where there are lots of drugs and a tolerant society that works together to maintain a life of inner peace and tranquility. Only a select few will make it to the blissful seclusion of the Beach (Mister Duck, for one, has died) but in the great tradition of travelling bravado, or sheer stupidity, Richard decides to give it a go...
Long, but worth reading
The movie has some big variations to this novel so even though I have seen the movie, it didn't spoil the novel for me. An interesting story of a young guy named Richard on a backpackers holiday in Thailand who is looking for something different - paradise. But when he finds paradise, it isn't paradise after all. An eerie tale that keeps you interested right though.
Kerryn, 11/12/2008
