The Tesseract - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 014901967X ISBN 13: 9780149019675

Synopsis

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 for street-kids’ dreams. Tonight, these disparate lives will violently collide . . .

About this title

Review:

A single evening in Manila hints at shared consciousness and the circular nature of time and experience. More ambitious than his successful debut, The Beach, Alex Garland's second novel follows three seemingly disparate stories that converge just this side of possible. Opening pages are reminiscent of a Raymond Chandler detective story: the dirty hotel room that "didn't know it was a hotel, or had forgotten"; the flinty, deep thinking protagonist; a meeting with rough-cut thugs. But just when we expect the arrival of the stock sultry woman, the cast of characters begins to assume the more recognisable aspects of ordinary life--to eerie effect.

Garland shows a talent for finely crafted phrases that emboss an image and encapsulate a moment. One minor character's brief sensory flashback provides more human insight than the pages of descriptive overload in the usual thriller. The Tesseract is an exciting tale that never stoops to the level of popcorn storytelling. --Samantha Starmer

Review:

Astonishing . . . A brilliantly structured, surprisingly compassionate novel, disguised as an exotic, speedy thriller (Mail on Sunday)

Proves defiantly that Garland is far from a one-hit wonder (Time Out)

A powerful narrative drive, exotic locations that unfold like a corrupt and mysterious flower, and a moody intelligence that holds everything together (J.G. Ballard)

About this edition

• ISBN 10: 014901967X
• ISBN 13: 9780149019675
• Binding: Hardcover