Douglas Coupland - Generation A

Coupland's 12th (English) novel is set in the not too distant future. The world no longer has bees and the basis of the novel is that five unrelated (or perhaps are related...) people suddenly get stung. As with all of Coupland's books his characters are unbelievable and memorable. Of any author alive today, Coupland is the absolute best (at least who I read) in developing characters that are "out there" and yet you feel as a reader that you know someone like that or you relate to their idiosyncrasies.

His book starts out with the usual bang and yet just as you start to get the characters and start feeling for the conclusion the book gets lost. To me once the 5 bee people join up, the action should really get going and yet the book gets stuck with these stories from each of the 5 individuals. The stories are fun but they don't do much to progress whatever it is that Coupland is trying to get across. Furthermore they bring in a scientist and he tells his story. In the end the story gets bogged down in saying our future is screwed because the industrial complex drive for profits will overlook biological disasters like the loss of bees. Too bad the ending didn't do a better job of getting this across.

And a little aside...in one of the stories an email is dropped by Coupland (SMcQ23667bot@hotmail.com). I emailed a quick email saying "Loved the book...bees rock" My response from Craig McQueen (read the book) was,

"Buzz buzz.
Bees.
Never forget."

There you have it...