The Tesseract

by Alex Garland

Book Overview

In less than an hour, Sean has a meeting with a mestizo gangster. On the other side of town, Rosa listens for her husband's car, and thirteen-year-old Vincente is watching for the man who pays money... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1573227749
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Riverhead Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.8" x 5.2"

Customer Reviews

Intelligent, detailed, absorbing

This book a page-turner just as "The Beach" was, but I loved this book more. "The Beach" was thrilling and filled with adrenaline, but when Garland turns his attention to character development in more "normal" settings (although not without violence) he surprises you with even more profound thoughts about human life, destiny, chance, truth & reality. "The Tesseract" seems a more mature book, and the details of Manila and its surrounding areas are so real, you feel like you yourself are running down the grimy streets of the slums, trying to salvage your life. Garland proves himself a master of character portrayal by having vastly different people inhabit the same book & even interact with each other. From destitute street kids to a well-to-do doctor to a European fleeing gangsters, Garland shows that no matter what level of society, all humans have thoughts, fears, concerns, dreams. These poignant glimpses of human emotion make this book impossible to put down. Can't wait for his next book!

One moment in time

Great book, detailing a small moment in time (although not exactly run of the mill!) and how all the protagonists got there. Based around a shoot out in a dodgy hotel, it first deals with the two sides of the shoot out. Once they move the gun play outside the hotel it starts to affect others (not suprisingly!) and they affect others etc. The book breathes life into the bystanders, rather than just the core 'interesting' characters, and how each of their actions affect the others. It's hard to say much else, other than it's hard to put down and if his books keep getting better like this I'm seriously looking forward to number three!

Very Impressive!

Let me first say, that if you are picking up this book in the hopes of another story like "The Beach" you will need to re-adjust your view of Alex Garland before jumping in. The Beach was one of my favorite books of the last few years, but with The Tesseract, Garland has surpassed my expectations. His new novel is a thrilling read and an experiment in plot construction. His gritty style is out in full force as usual, this time on the streets of Manilla. Fans won't be disappointed, as Garland weaves another complex tale set in a foreign tropical surrounding that, once again, allows you to lose yourself in another world. If you have read The Beach, you already know that it is an incredible book. Once you read The Tesseract you will see that Garland is an incredible writer as well.

Better than The Beach

If you're looking for another Beach, foget it. Garland takes 10 giant steps forward to create one of the most unique and satisfying novels of the year. Lyrical, visual and exhilarating. Can't wait to see where he goes next.