About the Author

Douglas Coupland is the author of the novels Generation X, Miss Wyoming, and most recently All Families Are Psychotic, among others, as well as the nonfiction works Life After God and Polaroids from the Dead. He grew up and lives in Vancouver.

Reviews

"He has the ability to take life in his hands, shake it like a snow globe and show us what absurd and luminous complexities are hidden within." --Rocky Mountain News "More than a decade after he coined the term Generation X, Coupland still understands youthful angst." --Playboy "This book feels like a genuine artifact of the tragedy that swirls at its center." --Baltimore Sun "Bring along a seatbelt, because Coupland delivers a fast, furious read." --Minneapolis Star Tribune "A remarkable examination of violence and spirituality ... Heartbreaking and horrifyingly real." --Village Voice

Coupland has long been a genre unto himself, and his latest novel fits the familiar template: earnest sentiment tempered by sardonic humor and sharp cultural observation. The book begins with a Columbine-like shooting at a Vancouver high school, viewed from the dual perspectives of seniors Jason Klaasen and Cheryl Anway. Jason and Cheryl have been secretly married for six weeks, and on the morning of the shooting, Cheryl tells Jason she is pregnant. Their situation is complicated by their startlingly deep religious faith (as Cheryl puts it, "I can't help but wonder if the other girls thought I used God as an excuse to hook up with Jason"), and their increasingly acrimonious relationship with a hard-core Christian group called Youth Alive! After Cheryl is gunned down, Jason manages to stop the shooters, killing one of them. He is first hailed as a hero, but media spin soon casts him in a different light. This is a promising beginning, but the novel unravels when Jason reappears as an adult and begins an odd, stilted relationship with Heather, a quirky court reporter. Jason disappears shortly after their relationship begins, and Heather turns to a psychic named Allison to track him down in a subplot that meanders and flags. Coupland's insight into the claustrophobic world of devout faith is impressive-one of his more unexpected characters is Jason's father, a pious, crusty villain who gradually morphs into a sympathetic figure-but when he extends his spiritual explorations to encompass psychic swindles, the novel loses its focus. Coupland has always been better at comic set pieces than consistent storytelling, and his lack of narrative control is particularly evident here. Noninitiates are unlikely to be seduced, but true believers will relish another plunge into Coupland-world. Author tour. (July) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

"He has the ability to take life in his hands, shake it like a snow globe and show us what absurd and luminous complexities are hidden within." --Rocky Mountain News "More than a decade after he coined the term Generation X, Coupland still understands youthful angst." --Playboy "This book feels like a genuine artifact of the tragedy that swirls at its center." --Baltimore Sun "Bring along a seatbelt, because Coupland delivers a fast, furious read." --Minneapolis Star Tribune "A remarkable examination of violence and spirituality ... Heartbreaking and horrifyingly real." --Village Voice