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The Coma

3.22 of 5 stars 3.22 · rating details · 2,490 ratings · 190 reviews

After being attacked on the Underground, Carl awakens from a coma to a life that seems strange and unfamiliar. He arrives at his friends' house without knowing how he got there. Nor do they. He seems to be having an affair with his secretary which is exciting, but unlikely. Further unsettled by leaps in logic and time, Carl wonders if he's actually reacting to the outside...more

Paperback, 192 pages

Published July 7th 2005 by Faber & Faber (first published January 1st 2004)

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Jul 04, 2011 Trish rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-hated

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Jul 14, 2007 Oceana2602 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: 2006, english, male-writers

The Coma was on the bargain table at Chapters when it caught my eye. Alex Garland, I said to myself. Isn't that the guy who wrote The Beach? Yes, he is.

I read The Beach long before it was made into a movie with the unspeakable Leonardo DiCaprio (which I've never seen), and I was fascinated. I recognized the society Garland creates in The Beach in so many ways, it was scary and uncomfortable and utterly fascinating. I haven't yet have the guts to read The Beach again, but it left a real impressio...more

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Feb 25, 2009 Chana rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: british, literature-fiction

This is one of those dream stories where reality is vague at best. There is a sense of dread in this book that, at least in part, comes from the very fine woodcuts made by the author's father. I was wondering which came first, the woodcuts or this novel. I suspect the woodcuts. I was waiting for illumination while I read this book and it never arrived, to my disappointment. Maybe others will understand this book, I hope so.

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Mar 02, 2012 Stacy rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who enjoy stories about dreaming, quick reads, Alex Garland fans

The Coma, written by Alex Garland (the 'mastermind' behind the novel The Beach, as well as the films 28 Days Later and Sunshine) presents a straightforward story: a man finds himself trapped in a dreamworld after being put in a coma, and struggles to regain his memory in order to wake up.

This "man," whose true identity even he is unsure about, is Carl. His experience begins as a series of scenes in which he seems to awake, all of a sudden someplace new. For the reader, it is no mystery that he i...more The Coma, written by Alex Garland (the 'mastermind' behind the novel The Beach, as well as the films 28 Days Later and Sunshine) presents a straightforward story: a man finds himself trapped in a dreamworld after being put in a coma, and struggles to regain his memory in order to wake up.

This "man," whose true identity even he is unsure about, is Carl. His experience begins as a series of scenes in which he seems to awake, all of a sudden someplace new. For the reader, it is no mystery that he is dreaming, though it takes him a bit longer to figure this out. At least, long enough for us to start thinking "Is his dream-state supposed to shock us, too?" Well, there isn't much shock at all. Anywhere.

He discovers his situation soon enough, often philosophizing on the nature of being awake and what it means to be dead — probably the most interesting aspect of the book. Carl maneuvers through his dreams easy enough once he gets the hang of it, meeting people he either remembers vividly from his life or that appear only as blurry images. The most significant of these people is Christine, a woman he (ergo: we) believe to be his secretary, and who in his dreams he is having a passionate affair with. It is with her he realizes what is happening, and she helps him in his mission to trigger a memory that might prompt him to wake up.

And that is it. Carl and Christine continue on a short, fragmented journey through disjointed memories and images that Carl is able to unearth from the depths of his waste-bin of a brain. Carl never describes himself, and even though he doesn't know much (pst! amnesia!) we still never find out much about him. It is for this reason I found it difficult to care much about where the book was taking me.

Where Garland's storytelling lacks in character and plot points, it somewhat makes up for with its structure, illustrating a breathtaking ability to capture — as much as can be — a written example of what it truly feels like to dream. Things aren't always obvious, people aren't always clear, places come and go, and time works in inconceivable ways.

Events move quickly, and though it took me longer than I care to admit to read this book (lack of interest, as opposed to inability to read), it is probably the 'easiest' of any book I've ever picked up (that wasn't for children). Though it didn't particularly grab my interest, I do not feel it was necessarily Garland's fault. I feel as though a novel may not have been the artistic medium for this story. The entire time I was reading it, I tried to picture it as a movie (which was remarkably easy to do) or a graphic novel. It would have made the experience far more enjoyable.

The writing is decent, the ideas are interesting and imaginative, but the novella seems to be written more as a fictional musing on the nature of dreams than a serious attempt at storytelling. I would say this is the perfect airplane book — something that is simple and reads like a movie on paper. It won't change your life, it isn't even that great, but you could finish it — no problem — if you've got an hour and a half to kill on a plane ride.(less)

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Oct 03, 2010 Kitt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: thinky, second-chance

I picked this book up a few years ago in an airport bookshop. I'd liked The Tesseract and quite enjoyed The Beach (at least in movie form, I've not gotten around to the book yet). I read it while waiting for a delayed flight and found it very disappointing. This should be the sort of book I love - I enjoy the blurring of reality and unreality, how dreams and disconnection can affect us - but I didn't really get it. Don't get me wrong, it was enjoyable enough but I couldn't see the point of it al...more

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May 03, 2009 Jacki rated it 4 of 5 stars

I sat down and read this all in one sitting this morning.

Because of the situation (narrator in a coma, struggling to get out), it was pretty well impossible to get a good grip on who the narrator is/what is life is about... but in that it's easy to lose yourself to this novel & imagine yourself in that situation. He's searching for things within his memory that will spark him, shake him free of this coma, and he struggles with his inability to remember the details, the lyrics, these type of...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Karl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Well this one is a very odd book.. but in a good way.

It was very odd for me because it resembles somehow my everyday work and routine.
Well for one the hero of the book is named Carl (mine's with a K). Next is that Carl was in a coma and a recurring character of a male nurse was with him for most parts of the book (I am an ICU nurse and I work with patients who are in coma almost everyday of my life). It became extremely awkward and odd for me at that time.

Actually it did occur to me one time on...more

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Feb 25, 2013 Lisa Guidarini rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 21st-century, g, american

The Coma grabs you, sinks its barbed teeth in and insists you cannot, will not, put it down. The writing is sparsely beautiful, the main character in a nightmarish quandry, trapped in a situation you can't imagine will be resolvable.

“I do all this alone, everything I achieve, I achieve alone, because it's my head I'm locked into, and I share this space with nobody but myself.”

But there's one problem: it falls flat. There is no climactic event, no spectacular ending. It's as if Garland got tired...more The Coma grabs you, sinks its barbed teeth in and insists you cannot, will not, put it down. The writing is sparsely beautiful, the main character in a nightmarish quandry, trapped in a situation you can't imagine will be resolvable.

“I do all this alone, everything I achieve, I achieve alone, because it's my head I'm locked into, and I share this space with nobody but myself.”

But there's one problem: it falls flat. There is no climactic event, no spectacular ending. It's as if Garland got tired of writing and just quit. And there's no reason any writer should. It's incredible! Where did it all go?

How can you create something this fantastic and falter at the end, as an experienced writer? I can understand a younger, less experienced writer struggling with wrapping it all up but I can't imagine what happened to The Coma. Not to mention what it might have been. Hard to believe he let it slip out of his hands.

His intent was to create a dark, frightening and uncomfortable place that makes readers squirm. His aim, to run chills down the spine and create a sort of other-wordly scenario like somewhat a cross between The Metamorphosis and Blindness. And that would have been exactly the target to hit, the place he needed to go.

All writers fall short occasionally but it's hoped another draft or two will bring things around, with the right editor. At least bring it close enough to leave your reader with some satisfaction. As a reader I feel cheated, not so much for the money (I'm pretty sure this was one of my Borders clearance books) but the time.

Yes, I expect writers to meet my expectations and I keep them stringent because there's so much else I could be doing. Or reading. When you encounter brilliance you know it and The Coma was just so, so close. It could have gotten there.

If only his editor hadn't been so cowed by Garland's fame from The Beach - the novel and the film. If he even had to report to an editor. The thing is, giving birth to one brilliant book doesn't mean you can do it without a team the next time around. If only the publishing world worked that way. If only we demanded they do.(less)

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Dec 25, 2008 Justin Hudnall rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It must be difficult for Alex Garland to see the majority of praise for this book pertain to "how fast of a read it was." This point is even emblazoned right across the back of the jacket, just in case people fail to notice how slim the book is. What I wished Garland was being praised for is his really masterful ability to write sparsely, with complete lack of jazz-fingers or indulging the impulse to elaborate a subject to death. Hell, give him cudos for being an English novelist who abstains fr...more

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Oct 05, 2011 Ernest Junius rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: coma people

Shelves: books-that-took-overnight-to-finish, overrated-books, shallow-reads, relaxing-reads, wacky-fantasia

The premise of the book is obviously very interesting—dark, surreal, and necromantic. Combined with the words of praise from Kazuo Ishiguro on the back cover and the fact that it was a "Guardian Books of the Year" making it all more and more an enticing read.

The book simply tells a story about a person in a coma—you might be able to guess that from the title, and what's different is that this book is utilising creepy woodblock illustration from Nicholas Garland (the father of the author) who is...more The premise of the book is obviously very interesting—dark, surreal, and necromantic. Combined with the words of praise from Kazuo Ishiguro on the back cover and the fact that it was a "Guardian Books of the Year" making it all more and more an enticing read.

The book simply tells a story about a person in a coma—you might be able to guess that from the title, and what's different is that this book is utilising creepy woodblock illustration from Nicholas Garland (the father of the author) who is a renowned illustrator. Now I think that usually would mean either two things: First, the author feels that the images will help conjuring imaginations in the readers' heads, because he feels the story would be too vague without them or second, the author feels his work is too weak to stand alone and it needs images to make it stands out. However in this case, I think it's neither of them.

The illustrations in Garland's novel are felt rather detached from the novel as a whole. They don't complement and they don't distract. They are just there as a matter-of-factly, and actually smell faintly redundant to me. It feels as if the novel was finished first and the illustrations were there to beef up the book. How can I conclude this? Well, it's simply that the writer would describe what happens in the illustration in his writing on the consequent pages—with the same tone and mood—that if you take the illustrations away you still can form the similar pictures in your head. So my question is, why are they created in the first place?

What's so interesting about the book is the theme. Coma. You can't complain about anything because the guy is in a coma. So for anything that happens in the book—no matter how weird or fucked up it is—the writer will only have to say, "My protagonist is in a coma, remember?" And in this case I'd have to say it's a pity that such an opportunity is left unused by the writer—he didn't go crazy enough, things that happen in the plot still sound too plain for me—especially in the middle and later parts of the book.

While the beginning part of the book is very interesting, the excitement level descends lower and lower and finally dashes into a free-fall towards the end of the book. I think it is because of the shift from a very plot-centric narrative—telling how the protagonist gets into the coma and who he meets while he was in coma and so on, into a more sense-centric, if there's such a word,—illustrating the situation where the protagonist sinks in the darkness, how he feels, and how he responds to the particular sensation while he is in a coma and so on. Therefore the effect it imprinted on me was tremendously boring.

Of course it's not a really bad read, but if it is, you won't be losing much (time and brain-power) because the book is so thin you can finish it in two hours if you like. (less)

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Nov 23, 2012 Ben Eldridge rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Occasionally, you come across books like this, which remind you why you read in the first place. Garland's novella is a stunning piece of work, on both an artistic and technical level. Dealing with the line between reality and fantasy, through the mind of a coma patient, Garland's minimalist prose accentuates the stylistic choices he makes (the varying syntax and typesetting of the book representing different layers of meaning), and the ambiguous images throughout the book (woodcuts by his fathe...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it · review of another edition

Most reviewers compared The Coma to comic books or film, perhaps because, as a novel, it doesn't hold up terribly well. Its brevity necessitates some glaring omissions, such as Carl's age and job, and it's tough to care about the characters when we don't know much about them. Garland aims not so much to tell a good story as to examine and perhaps replicate altered states of consciousness. Some find the project intriguing, but for most, Garland's insights aren't worth their narrative price. Blend

...more

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Mar 26, 2010 Kevin Murphy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This wasn't nearly as interesting or well-written as Alex Garland's other work, but it was still mysteriously intriguing all the same. I suspect that this might have been a screenplay he wrote which was deemed un-filmable and therefore converted into prose so that it could be published. I also wouldn't be surprised if his publisher was so anxious to publish anything new from him that it pushed the idea of illustrations just to get it above 200 pages (generally the "requirement" for something to...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Tom O’Connell rated it 2 of 5 stars

A worthwhile short read with a compelling concept. However, this could've been so much more.

Unfortunately, this felt less like a fully realised NOVEL and more like the author had a keen scientific interest in dreams, comas and the subconscious mind. As it is, I think this might've worked better as a short story in a larger collection, or maybe elements of it could've been reconfigured into an essay about dreamscapes. But when taken on its own, it's hard to regard The Coma as anything other than...more

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Apr 16, 2011 Ape rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: england

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 26, 2011 Eva rated it 2 of 5 stars

Na het lezen van The Beach (Zoals in de film, jawel, maar dan beter; Eén van m'n favoriete vakantie-reis-zonopjesnoet boeken) met torenhoge verwachtingen aan m'n tweede Alex-Garland boek begonnen. Al snel bleek het echter compleet verschillend te zijn (dus vergelijken mag eigenlijk helemaal niet, maar ik doe het stiekem toch), en naast verschillend ook helemaal niet zo waauw.
De plot op zich (man heeft ongeluk - ligt in coma - ontwaakt en zet zijn leven verder - of toch niet?) is wel goed gevond...more

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May 06, 2013 Ryan Quigley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

The thing that strikes you about this book is how Garland manages to evoke the unreality and randomness of dreams without sacrificing any narrative clarity. Everything feels slightly off, in the way that dreams often do, and the reader's confusion and attempts to make sense of the situation mirror the narrators. I don't think you can really say enough about the quality of his prose.
I found the idea of a lucid coma to be pretty inspired, and the protagonist's struggle to return to the waking wor...more

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Jan 31, 2011 Alice rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is so easy to read but surprisingly dark, which made it all the more interesting. I wasn't sure that I would even like it, to be honest, but certainly it is one of the more enjoyable books that I have read lately. I think this is more due to the philosophy and questions that the author raises in his explorations of the dream world, the coma state of the main character Carl.

There are several phrases that really stood out - the main being "to wake is the same as to die" the anology that...more

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Jun 18, 2009 Rosy rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 05, 2013 Simon rated it 1 of 5 stars

I really don't know what to make of this book. It started well with a good background to the coma circumstances and progressed to exploring the dream world he found himself trapped in. This was OK, but I was confused by the sudden changes in aspect. I was sure that it was set in a large Western city (probably London) due to the setting and descriptions, but there is one whole section which is obviously set in a japanese costal town. I know this is a dream world but it made the narrator a untrust...more

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Aug 25, 2011 Gina Woyicki rated it 2 of 5 stars

I mean, I guess two stars might be kind of harsh... it's not that I didn't like the book. It was good but it just felt unfinished, almost as if Garland got bored with what he was writing and decided to finish it off. There were times I was like, what is this guy freakin talking about, but the concept itself is pretty cool. I finished the entire book in about an hour (it's really short and has a decent amount of illustrations)and all in all I would say if you're a Garland fan, check it out. Even...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Jay T. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 3-star, fan-of-author

The Coma by Alex Garland

Rifled with illustrations though out the book, each found at the start of the chapters, the coma is a super quick read and easily finished in a few hours. The story focuses on the protagonist, Carl, after a horrific attack on a subway train leaving him in a coma. When he comes to again he finds himself in a world that is different from his pre coma life. Carl starts to notice strange skips in time and weird differences between pre coma and post coma life. The Coma offers...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Rowena added it

Have to totally agree with the previous post "An interesting premise but could have been a hundred pages longer and actually developed it more. It seemed that we followed Carl until he realized he was still in his coma but then we're just waiting for him to find a way out of it. There was no real conflict, he just needed to find the right combination and it just became a bit boring, which is a pity because it could have been so much more". It's as though Garland got bored with it himself and jus...more

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May 18, 2010 Dougal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

This book is a wonderful tale of the unconscious. It explores a world of unconscious dreaming that is beautifully gentle in the way it slowly reveals something of the character of the narrator, and something about all of us. The black and white woodcuts, by Nicholas Garland, perfectly illustrate this short story.

The edition I read was the paperback, with a separate dustcover. It was a delight to hold; there was something about the binding, the texture, the layout, that perfectly suited the story...more

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Apr 27, 2009 Meg rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not sure I liked this one... Had high expectations after reading The Beach and then enjoying the movie too. BUT The Coma was disappointing, especially with such an interesting plot. It had potential, and I say, it didn't completely fall short. The images were relatable; I found his description of childhood fevers completely accurate to my own experience. The ending was too easy. I finished it in less than two days, reading completely while on the elliptical and stair step. An easy but not breezy...more

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May 27, 2010 Fabian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As writers go, this one has the career I covet and an incredible repertoire--he has been compared to Graham Greene. Well, this is the WRITER OF MY GENERATION, and therefore, it's Mr. Greene who should consider himself fortunate.

For a book that requires no bookmark, this one is a must. Like a riveting film, one of the best ones out there that you probably never got to see in the theater and sweetens the day considerably when you do sit down and invest and hour and a half, this one is worth it. Ev...more

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Feb 03, 2010 Jason Kurtz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

I picked up The Coma because it has been on my shelf for awhile and I read on the back that Garland “seek[s:] the clarity that Hemingway sought,” and he also received comparisons to Graham Greene and J. G. Ballard. Hmmm. Three authors I enjoy and respect, why not.

I was pleasantly surprised. Garland has a simple style in The Coma, which on the surface seems almost crude or juvenile. Simple words and rather dull, generic description. But then, one realizes as a reader what Garland has done. He has...more

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May 25, 2012 Andy Zeigert rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've been a fan of Alex Garland's work since I first read The Beach. I know a lot of people don't like it, but I quite enjoyed the film adaptation of that novel, as well. Although why Garland, who adapted his own novel, and Brit director Danny Boyle decided to rewrite the main character from a young British expat to a young American expat still puzzles me. Perhaps DiCaprio couldn't get the accent right.

In any case, Garland's next novel and next two films remain among my favorites, particularly S...more

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Jan 13, 2008 Nathan rated it 1 of 5 stars

Garland's first book The Beach is truly one of my favorite books. Maybe I happened to read it at the exact right moment in my own existence, but I connected to it on a deep level, and I found it to be not only thrilling, but quite moving.

I managed to miss his second novel, but after the total mess that they made of the theatrical version of The Beach, I loved 28 Days Later, so I was excited the day I picked this book up, and in the first moments I remember finding it darkly compelling. Not too...more

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Sep 08, 2007 Hotchiqqa rated it 4 of 5 stars

"The Coma is a bold step towards the creation of a new genre, perhaps even a new art form." -Kazuo Ishiguro, Observer Books of the Year

This book is really good, if you're into psychology and all. Very Chilly. =)

Tells a story about a man, who got into an accident/crime. he was beaten to unconsciousness, and was placed into a state of coma. The book perfectly describes the difference of being in dream-life and wake-life.. and almost dead-life(coma). It digs well into the subconscious mind, with di...more

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About Alex Garland

Alex Garland (born 1970) is a British novelist and screenwriter.

Garland is the son of political cartoonist Nick (Nicholas) Garland. He attended the independent University College School, in Hampstead, London, and the University of Manchester, where he studied art history.

His first novel, The Beach, was published in 1996 and drew on his experiences as a backpacker. The novel quickly became a cult c...more

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Quotes from The Coma

“I do all this alone, everything I achieve, I achieve alone, because it's my head I'm locked into, and I share this space with nobody but myself.” — 4 people liked it

“The dilapidation was not a memory but a representation of a poorly remembered past.” — 2 people liked it

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