Such chilling scenes of dismemberment are becoming a hallmark for the 28-year-old British author of the 1996 international best seller ““The Beach.’’ That fantastic debut novel (currently being made into a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio) was about a group of paradise seekers in Thailand who witness a series of horrible deaths. The same paranoia, violence and suspenseful tone haunt ““Tesseract.''
Garland, an extensive traveler, sets his new novel in the Philippines, and tells three intertwined stories: an English sailor double-crosses the powerful don and is chased by his henchman across Manila. Meanwhile, a suburban mother remembers her painful past, and a pair of colorful street kids describe their dreams to a psychologist for cash. The tales converge in a climax that will leave you shocked by the carnage but impressed with the author’s skill. Garland also wants to ponder big issues, like why some people suffer terrible fates. The metaphysical musings would be distracting if they weren’t wrapped into such a steam engine of a narrative. ““The Tesseract’’ is just an evening’s read and seems less substantial than ““The Beach,’’ but it exerts the same unsettling grip on your imagination.
