I am going to confuse this Graham Greene book with Graham Swift's Last Orders, even though I don't remember for certain whether the Swift destination was Brighton rather than any other seaside resort within reach of London, because it's a seaside resort and because of their names.
I don't say that a good book can't tell every last damn detail, just that The Good Soldier did and did so badly. But it seems like I am saying that, because here're several characters sketched with a detail or two and lots of backstory only hinted at, yet overall a much more fulfilling story.