The Tesseract - Softcover

Garland, Alex

3.23

6,731 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0670870161 ISBN 13: 9780670870165

Publisher: Viking, 1998

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Gripping from the first pages, Garland's new novel is set over three hours during one night in Manilla. With the pace and suspense of THE BEACH this novel intertwines three stories: the shady dealings of gangsters, the tautly and emotionally drawn tale of a Philippino family and the violent lives of a gang of street kids, until their different lives collide in a shattering finale. It is beautifully written and unputdownable ...

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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)

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