A Review of The Beached Ones

What's The Beached Ones About?

Book Info

Here is some quick information about the book before we get into the story.

The book mixes a few genres, like literary fiction and ghost stories. This is not just a spooky book with cheap scares. It uses ghosts to talk about real human problems like grief, trauma, and memory.

The Story (No Spoilers)

The book is about a man named Daniel. His main goal is to save his younger brother, Tony. Both brothers grew up in an abusive home.

Daniel escaped that life and became a stunt rider. But he feels guilty because he made a promise to go back for his brother. One day, a risky motorcycle jump goes horribly wrong.

Daniel wakes up in Iowa and seems fine, but his life feels wrong. His best friend won't answer his calls. Even his girlfriend seems to be hiding something from him.

He is scared and confused by his jumbled memories. He holds on to the one thing he knows for sure. He must get to San Francisco in five days to pick up his brother.

This goal sends Daniel on a cross-country trip. It’s a journey where he has to face strange events and find the truth. The official summary is a bit tricky, making you feel as confused as Daniel is.

The Full Story (Spoilers Ahead)

Here is the biggest spoiler: Daniel is dead. The stunt jump killed him. His trip is not a real one, but something happening in an in-between state after his death.

About the Characters

Daniel's Story: From Guilt to Peace

Daniel's journey is a lot like the stages of grief. The weird part is that he is grieving for himself. He just does not know it yet.

• Denial: He does not know that he is dead. He believes he is in Iowa recovering from his accident. He thinks his friends are just ignoring his calls.
• Bargaining: His whole quest to get his brother is a desperate deal. He thinks if he can just complete this one task, his life will go back to normal.
• Anger and Fear: He gets more and more terrified as the world around him stops making sense. His reality becomes a mix of strange events and supernatural encounters.
• Depression: The story is full of his sadness and heartache. This comes from the trauma of his childhood. It also comes from the guilt of leaving Tony behind.
• Acceptance: The end of the story is not about saving Tony. It is about Daniel finally facing the truth. His journey is about letting go of his guilt.

Jolene: The One Who Can See

Jolene is Daniel's ex-girlfriend, and she has a special ability. She can see ghosts, which is a huge burden for her. She is one of the only people who can see Daniel now that he is a ghost.

She has to act as a bridge, helping Daniel face his past. This makes her own life messy. It especially causes problems with her new, living boyfriend, Brent.

Jolene is caught between the living world and the world of the dead. Brent sees Daniel as competition, even though Daniel is dead. This creates a strange and sad love triangle.

Other Key Characters

The other characters are important to the story's main ideas.

• Tony: Daniel's younger brother is the heart of the story. Daniel's fierce love for him is what drives the plot. Tony represents Daniel's unfinished business.
• Brent: Jolene's new boyfriend is an important part of the story. He is not happy about Daniel's ghost showing up. But he can also see Daniel, which makes things complicated.
• Richard Wells: This character shows up later in the story to explain things. He tells Daniel and the reader the "rules" of this afterlife. He helps make sense of the confusing situation.

Why the Setting Is Important

The title, The Beached Ones , is the key to the whole story. The setting is more than just a background. It is a symbol for what is happening to the characters.

The book starts with a strange scene of whales washing up on a beach. This is a powerful image. Whales belong in the ocean, not on land where they cannot survive.

Daniel is like one of those beached whales. He is a ghost who is stuck in the living world. The beach represents this in-between state of being.

The other places in the book also show how Daniel feels. He starts in the empty fields of Iowa, feeling lonely and confused. His goal is to get to the busy city of San Francisco to find his brother.

What The Book Is Really About

Dealing with Grief

This book is really a story about love and loss. It shows how grief can feel like being haunted. Daniel's ghost is a symbol of his past abuse and sadness.

The ghost story part of the book is really a way to talk about grief. Daniel is like a person stuck in their own sadness. He is invisible to most people and trapped by his memories.

Being a ghost in this book means you are stuck. Daniel is so full of guilt that he cannot move on. He cannot even move on after he dies.

Family Secrets

Secrets are what push the story forward. The family's secret about their abusive home is the main reason for everything. This secret is not just in the past, it affects everything happening now.

The story actually has two big secrets.

• The first is the abuse in Daniel's family past.
• The second secret is that Daniel is dead.

Daniel has to figure out both secrets to find peace. He cannot face his family's past until he accepts his own death. The story shows how hiding the truth can trap you.

Second Chances and Forgiveness

This is what the book is all about. It is a story about forgiveness that goes beyond death. Daniel gets a second chance, but not to live again.

His second chance is to make things right after he dies. He thinks his goal is to save his brother Tony. But he really needs to save himself from his own guilt.

He finds peace by accepting what happened. He lets go of his guilt and helps others before he moves on. The ending is described as beautiful and full of hope.

How the Book Is Written

Writing Style

The author's writing is described as beautiful and haunting. It creates a spellbinding mood. This style fits the confusing and mysterious plot perfectly.

The story is told in two timelines. It jumps between flashbacks of the past and what is happening now. This is a smart way to explore memory and trauma.

This structure makes you feel as lost and confused as Daniel. You have to piece the truth together along with him. The sad reveals from the past hit you at just the right moments.

Similar Books

The author has written other books, but some say this is her best one yet.

Reviewers compare this book to The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. This means it is not a scary horror story. It is a book that makes you think about life and death.

Others say it feels like Colleen Hoover's book Layla . This comparison points to the ghost story part of the book. It also highlights the emotional and heart-wrenching drama.

This book is great for people who like both types of stories. It has the deep themes of a literary novel. It also has the exciting plot of a modern ghost story.

So, Should You Read It?

My Final Thoughts

It is not often a book's main idea is handled so well. The Beached Ones is a story that sticks with you. It is haunting in a good way.

The relationship between the brothers is the heart of the story. But the best part is the title's meaning. We can all feel "beached" sometimes, stranded by our pasts or our sadness.

Who Should Read This?

You should read this book if you like stories that mix different genres. It is highly recommended for a few types of readers.

• Fans of atmospheric literary fiction.
• Readers who like thoughtful stories about what happens after death.
• People who liked books like The Midnight Library or Layla .

This book might not be for you if you want a simple, fast story. The beginning is confusing, and you need to be patient. But if you stick with it, the ending is worth it.

Final Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars

The book gets high marks for its great writing and deep emotion. I took off half a star for some small confusing parts. For example, it is not clear why Daniel can eat if he is dead.

Favorite Quotes

1. “The night answered only in waves, the sand whispering hush.”
2. "We all get stranded by our pasts. We wait for something to pull us back to sea."
3. "A promise follows you, even after you're gone. It's a debt that death can't erase."

Book Club Questions

1. The title comes from a scene with beached whales. Who else in the story is "beached" or stranded? Talk about how this applies to Daniel, Jolene, and Tony.
2. Daniel does not know he is dead for most of the book. How did this make you feel as a reader? Was it confusing, or did it help you understand how lost he felt?
3. The story uses flashbacks to show Daniel's abusive childhood. How do these past moments explain what he does in the present?
4. Let's talk about Jolene. Her ability to see ghosts is both a gift and a curse. What did you think of the love triangle between Jolene, her living boyfriend Brent, and Daniel?
5. The book is about forgiveness. What debt does Daniel feel like he owes? Do you think he finds peace in the end?
6. Were you happy with the ending? What did you think about how things wrapped up for Daniel and Tony?
7. This book gets compared to The Midnight Library and Layla . Do you think that is a good comparison? How does this story use ghosts to talk about things like grief and letting go?