Generation X - Douglas Coupland

I must be such a sucker. A year or so back I bought the book Jpod by Douglas Coupland and hated it with a degree of hostility out of all proportion to its inherent quality, yet here I am shelling out good money for another one. I'd bought that first book largely on the basis of the author's reputation as a modern, zeitgeist surfing writer with a savvy appreciation of the turn of the century world. A reputation almost entirely earned with this break through novel; 'Generation X'. Unfortunately, Jpod was so annoyingly self-regarding, so out of touch with the 21st century that I felt almost personally insulted that I had been so duped - hence my disproportionate loathing. ...  Read the complete review

I'm completely amazed that no-one has written an op for Gen X yet, so here goes! The novel follows Dag, Andy and Claire, all mid to late twenty-somethings as they discuss life, relationships and jobs. Well, that's it, review over. Really. They do nothing else for the rest of the novel. There's no driving narrative, no great events, no twists. They sit around, have sarcastic discussions about TV, drink too much, talk about life. Yet you still find yourself absorbed - it's thoroughly compelling. It is essentially a discourse - in the literal sense, as it is largely either dialogue or 'stream of conscious'/interior thought, and also in the sense that ...  Read the complete review