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Title: Garland's talent is present but often wasted this go-round.
Review: A bit of a bummer coming after The Beach, this one really feels like what could have been a terse, tense short-story padded with filler into a slow-moving (despite its brevity) novel. The connections at time seem strained, and the constant flash-backs and attempts at scope really just slow things down. You certainly get drawn in with the first part, but find yourself wandering considerably until a very well done payoff. If anything, though, the end of the book only shows the considerable talent Garland possess but never fully realizes this time out. But I'll still be waiting for the next one.
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