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Liked It2 of 2 members found this review helpful “(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.) |
Didn’t Like It “It felt too disaffected and the characters felt more like ideas than people. The entire novel is exactly the same and I never felt any sort of climax or change in prose or character development because the entirety of the book is filled with these people making grand and "poetic" statements about life” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Canadian literature. This is a smooth and easy to read story that focuses on the unlikely relationship of two unsatisfied Staples employees. One is a rebellious, goth teenage girl and the other a skeptical, apathetic alcoholic man in his 40s. There is nothing sexual between them. Rather they enjoy a bond based on their mutual indifference to the world.
Joseph Sun wrote this review Tuesday, March 13, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Running parallel to their relationship is a story which the main character, Roger, works on. It is called "Glove Pond". The story revolves around two sad, angry, and loud couple in their 50s who engages in constant bickering, self deprecation, and insults.
Link to a prezi presentation/summary on The Gum Thief.
http://prezi.com/l0qrkqahbxuo/the-gum-thief/”
“The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland
Michelle G wrote this review Monday, June 27, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
275 pages
4/5 stars
From the back cover:
"...an epistolary relationship between Roger and Bethany, two very different, but strangely connected, "aisles associates" at Staples. Watch as their lives unfold alongside Roger's work-in-progress, the oddly titled Glove Pond. ...key characters migrate into and out of its pages, Glove Pond becomes an anchor of Roger's unsettled -and unsettling-life."
I enjoyed this book. It is uniquely told - in letters, there is the book-within-a-book thing going on, and a cool ending (always a plus for me). The reason I did not rate it higher - catchy phrases, which are what you love about the book but at the same time a drawback-one long catchy phrase like listening to a stand up comic run through his observations of the world and contemporary society specifically. It seems borderline too random which makes it feel like the author is trying a little too hard to be different and cool. Though tons of great quotes to latch on to and lots that ring true.
Couple of quotes:
(observation about some Staples customers)
"oh, and before lunch these two gay guys came in to buy price stickers for their garage sale, and they went for the expensive ones with little strings and grommetted string holes. I got their address because if they take that much care, they probably have some pretty good stuff."
"The point here is that everyone's family is a disaster. Some are noisier disasters, and some are quietly toxic disasters, but we're all in the same boat." ”“It felt too disaffected and the characters felt more like ideas than people. The entire novel is exactly the same and I never felt any sort of climax or change in prose or character development because the entirety of the book is filled with these people making grand and "poetic" statements about life”
Anele P wrote this review Saturday, June 18, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“As always, Douglas Coupland comments so succinctly on today's society, and the idea of a book within a book is great”
Julie P wrote this review Friday, April 1, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“another great book about computer nerds by douglas coupland, i love his books and the stories, definitely worth reading.
alex RRR/saw the hunger games movie lastnight, so tired, was pretty awesome :D wrote this review Tuesday, September 14, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
interestly written and done well”
“A novel within a novel - funny and touching - good commentary on the job market in a transitional economy - coming of age for one employee and the formation of meaningful intergenerational relationships.”
Carla G wrote this review Sunday, March 7, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
0 of 1 members found this review helpful“I've not read it yet...”
Chris G wrote this review Friday, February 12, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Another haunting portrait of the frightening isolation of the individual in modern society, at least that's my take on it. I read this piece while I was entering into my fourth year of employment wit a large, well-known multinational thrift store chain and at the bottom of my job-satisfaction barrel.
Hayley C wrote this review Sunday, December 27, 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
As always, Coupland takes everyday people, living so-called un-extraordinary lives, and elevates them to a level of surrealism that blurs the boundaries between coincidence and fate. The beauty of the mundane is a constant theme throughout this book, occasionally rising to the surface in heartwrenching familiarity.”
“JudithAnn said: 4 stars
Play Book Tag Shelf wrote this review Saturday, December 19, 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Once I got into the story, it was really interesting. It deals with a middle aged man, Roger, who has lost everything and works a low paid job in a office supplies store. He keeps a sort of diary and when one of his co-workers finds this, a 20 something woman called Bethany, she starts writing in this diary too.
Meanwhile Roger has started a story which he hopes to publish as a book, that is presented in parts throughout the book, and Bethany encourages him to go on with it. Things happen that change both Roger's and Bethany's quiet existence.
An interesting interaction between these two people (and some other people too, later on).
”
