The Coma by Alex Garland

Easy, breezy, weird... who would have thought being beaten into a coma would make such a fun read? In terms of quirky short books I've picked up, The Coma rivals Lydia Millet's My Happy Life. Garland, famous for his novel The Beach and screenplay 28 Days Later, weaves a philosophical web that leads the readers into (or out of) the real world and into (or out of) the perceived world. The narrator, a pleasant enough fellow, is beaten into a coma on a Tube ride home from the office after he briefly and minimally interferes with some thugs who are menacing a female rider.

He wakes on a rollercoaster ride through his psyche. Not quite a nightmare, not quite a dream, his life takes on new meaning as he can only wander from one memory to the next. He has some control over his world, but things are happening inside his mind without conscious thought. He can't remember the words to Little Richard tunes, but without even trying, he sees intricate details: blades of grass, the weave of the cotton in his shirt, the shapes of clouds in the sky.

He rides out the coma through highs and lows, briefly surfacing in the real world before sinking down again into darkness. The narrator struggles to find the key to his release, buried somewhere in his memory.

The Coma is quick, but by no means is it light reading. There's a lot happening on these pages, and the resolution leaves you plenty to think about and a fresh perspective on the world. If you're lucky enough to find yourself dreaming after reading this book, try to discover if the act of sleeping is really the first step in waking up...