"On the Beach" is a good read. I liked the book. I did not love it. The characters were fully developed. Places, events, and the habitat of the book's characters are testimony to the author's writing ability and style. Command of the king's English range from good most of the time to extraordinary at times. The repetitive monotony of substance abuse and its obvious consequences of it are very evident throughout the book. I was ready to kick Lenny Decker square in the balls by the end of the book. If it was the author's intent to portray Decker as a loathsome summer derelict who dissolves more and more into alcoholism and chronic weed smoking, the author succeeded. My main disappointment with the book is I kept asking myself "where is this going?" in terms of thematic conclusion to the novel. However, I recommend this to readers. I have read both of Steve Schmale's books and regard him as a good writer worth reading. I hope he continues to write and publish more books in the future.
