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1 of 1 members found this review helpful.A masterpiece about the modern world
“I'll be honest, Douglas Coupland could wipe his arse with a bit of paper and I would tearily call it a masterpiece ruminating on the loneliness that being so connected through technology has garnered. Perhaps take me with a grain of salt. I loved this book. I really feel like it was back to his old, isn't the world equally depressing and amazingly beautiful, seeping into my skin, wrapping me with a blanket and cooing in my ear, its alright, someone understands what's going on in your heart, connection.
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-09-30.
I love the way it is written. Through letter correspondence between several different characters, only in written form do they feel that can honestly say what they feel, open up completely. That they refuse to say these things or even barely communicate to one another face to face is an uncomfortable mirror for this facebook age. The fictional book ala "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf" (Glove Pond - the title KILLS ME), that is written over the course of their correspondence is hilarious and even more revealing. Sly stabs at writers and the commercial world they must navigate is scathing and hilarious.
The narrative setting and subsequent metaphor of a stationary super store is incredibly apt and terrifying. The world has become lost in a giant sized warehouse full of crap we don't need in a million different colours, flavours and sizes, that will take 10,000 years to biodegrade. That rearranging and colour coding an entire aisle of pens is a career these days is paralysing.
As always Coupland has his finger on the pulse and regurgitates our discomfort and nightmares to us in ways that seep through and leave a stain. The irony that this is done purely in book/letter form (not blog, twitter or any other form of internet medium) isn't lost on me.” -
1 of 3 members found this review helpful.
Coupland over the top
“Uber-meta-book about writing and authors including a postmodern Droste (mise en abîme) effect which caused me to *sigh* at times.”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-08-05. -
A good novel for someone less talented than Coupland
“This book is worth reading, but it isn't anywhere near Coupland's other work. He used to be able to balance the dark ache of despair with hope and redeption. Now there's little hope, and little redemption. You won't find a book sadder than "Life After God", but you end feeling "You know, there's hope after all". With this book, you turn the last page and think "Life sucks and then you die". His vision is getting darker, and I hope it's not a trend with no end. His books used to be about characters who search for ways to make their lives meaningful. Now they seem to be about characters who just want the pain to end. ”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-04-18. -
0 of 1 members found this review helpful.
The best Coupland since Hey, Nostradamus
“The best Coupland book next to Hey, Nostradamus. He has an amazing ability to be subtle with character plot points, while being seemingly over direct with motivations. I don't know how he does it.”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-04-18. -
1 of 3 members found this review helpful.
Disarming the audience
“A novel within the novel seems half intended to disarm Coupland's audience: "... see, there is an unappreciative audience here, look at them making fun of the mediocre writing... look in the mirror, were you pooh-poohing my writing?".
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-03-11.
Coupland delivers a novel at times amusing, but often disappointing. It's a decent read, leading you to want to finish. But I confess the finishing was half the pleasure.
There are promises at times that things would tie together, a la the mastery of Milan Kundera's "Immortality", but alas, they never do get tied together, indeed many threads are left at loose ends at novel's close.
Some may defend Coupland against a charge that his novel lacks profundity by declaring his style to be triviality examined. But, two decades on from "Generation X" most of us have grown up a bit. I expected some of that maturity (something profound) from one of my generation's spokesmen. I didn't find it in "Gum Thief".”
