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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
Douglas Coupland, you are bumming me out. I can't finish your books because you make me even more concerned about apocalypse than NPR does. You are still an awesome writer, tho, don't worry.
I liked the 'journey' of the book, but I didn't like the ending
Amazing story. The absurdities mentioned in this book were funny. I could really relate to this book.
dark
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i literally forgot i read this. boring but kinda funny.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
If there was a way to scrape this travesty of a book out of my brain, I would do it.
My biggest problem were the characters. Without fail, every single one of them had the same voice, what I can only assume is Coupland's voice, because it wasn't a believable voice for anyone. The characters are also incredibly one dimensional: bored goth, alcoholic loser, alcoholic loser #2, alcoholic loser #3, pretty idiot boy.
Plot wise, Coupland seems to have decided that one terrible book wasn't enough, so he made a book within a book so that he could doubly torture his readers.
I can't fathom why anyone would write this, much less a publisher who'd be willing to take it on
My biggest problem were the characters. Without fail, every single one of them had the same voice, what I can only assume is Coupland's voice, because it wasn't a believable voice for anyone. The characters are also incredibly one dimensional: bored goth, alcoholic loser, alcoholic loser #2, alcoholic loser #3, pretty idiot boy.
Plot wise, Coupland seems to have decided that one terrible book wasn't enough, so he made a book within a book so that he could doubly torture his readers.
I can't fathom why anyone would write this, much less a publisher who'd be willing to take it on
Sorry Coupland, I just don't get it. I had read Microserfs and was kinda meh about it, but I figured, hey, it's about a decade too early for my appreciation of that particular part of industry drudgery. But retail, depression, and being a 20-something goth girl? These are things I'm intimately familiar with, THIS, surely, I can relate to.
And I suppose I did relate to it, sorta. But I didn't care about it, I found the conceit of an awkward novel about an aging academic and his alcoholic wife to be just stupid, and I didn't find that it revealed much about the particular sadness of doing what these Staples employees do every day. I mean, isn't that the point of Coupland?
I can't put a finger on what it is that I don't enjoy about Coupland's books. Something about the writing style? The sort of detached narration and low key climaxes? The kind of generic characters that I'm supposed to recognize? I'm not sure, I know I have friends that are big fans of his, and I just haven't figured it out yet.
And I suppose I did relate to it, sorta. But I didn't care about it, I found the conceit of an awkward novel about an aging academic and his alcoholic wife to be just stupid, and I didn't find that it revealed much about the particular sadness of doing what these Staples employees do every day. I mean, isn't that the point of Coupland?
I can't put a finger on what it is that I don't enjoy about Coupland's books. Something about the writing style? The sort of detached narration and low key climaxes? The kind of generic characters that I'm supposed to recognize? I'm not sure, I know I have friends that are big fans of his, and I just haven't figured it out yet.
I loved this book so much. I didn't want it to end. Also they way that grief is written about is so spot on. Earned its place on my desert island bookshelf.