** spoiler alert ** 
 Rating 3.5 
 In a lot of ways, this book is a lot more disturbing than the movie, but at least it doesn't become the same (slight spoiler alert for the movie) morality-free f-fest. I think that was Hollywood's way of getting more boobs in. 
 I really enjoyed a lot of this novel. In the beginning, I was envious that a 26-year-old wrote something so brilliant, but I found it started to drag in the last quarter. There was one character I didn't care for at all, and since he dies at the beginning, I didn't see the need to continue his involvement in the story, except to show the protag's growing madness. But I was never entirely sure if it was madness or an annoying ghost. 
 My main trouble with the story was that there wasn't a ton of depth, so when the end comes--as farfetched as it still is--it isn't that surprising. The "bad" characters are immoral and ruthless, while Richard's friends are the "good" guys. The only morally ambiguous character is Richard himself. 
 One thing I've never understood--why does anyone think this island is paradise? If I was going to escape from it all, the last thing I'd want is to get roped into feeding 30 people on a commune every day, sleeping in a room with a bunch of stoners, and crapping into a pit. Not to mention people always telling me what to do. But maybe that's just me.