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The message at the end of this novel was not exactly original or anything. The search for a perfect paradise usually ends in death, violence and disappointment. Remember The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux? The Beach is well written - it inspires a sense of adventure and reminds you of what it was like to be young and free. Garland keeps it all very mysterious with Richard's hotel mate bestowing him with a map to some remote island. Usually, great writers inspire movie makers with great taste in books. But Garland is clearly a man with great taste in movies. The ghost of Captain Willard from Apocalypse Now might have entered Richard. Richard is nowhere as haunted as Willard. He is more of a young 90s kid. His relationship with the French couple and the sexual tension between the three of them adds an erotic element to the largely idyllic setting of this novel. The film ruined the relationship between Ewan McGregor and Danny Boyle because Boyle favored Di Caprio over McGregor to play the part of Richard. Boyle did say it helped him build a house. Babyboomers. Gen X! All corrupt! The whole lot of them. The movie was shit! But really great book.