Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the most entertaining novels I've read in a while, December 1, 2007
Douglas Coupland's astute observations and unique sense of humor shine through in The Gum Thief, a novel about a 20-something Goth girl (Bethany) who develops an unlikely friendship with an alcoholic, aspiring author (Roger) when she comes across his journal and starts corresponding with him.
Coupland is arguably one of the most inventive, entertaining, and perceptive authors writing today. The Gum Thief is made up entirely of documents written by characters in the novel including the journal entries, a novel in progress, letters, creative writing essays, and email messages.
The Gum Thief is a mature work about loneliness, growing older, and coping with life when things don't turn out the way you planned. It also speaks to the way we communicate with one another, and how we can express ourselves more openly with strangers or on the written page.
The limitation of the novel lies with its plot. There isn't much of one. The novel is about the growing bond between three central characters in the novel who rarely, if ever, talk to one another. Coupland, clearly feeling a need to wrap the novel up with some drama, has one of the characters make a choice that feels strangely false. While a friendship does develop in the novel, it isn't apparent that the characters change much as a result (particularly Roger, who remains in the same rut he started in at the beginning of the novel). There isn't even a sense that Roger and Bethany will move beyond their written correspondence and actually begin to communicate with one another in person.
The Gum Thief is breezy, insightful, and at times, laugh-out-loud funny. Sure, it hasn't got much of a plot and the ending isn't entirely satisfying but it doesn't matter much. The Gum Thief is one of the most entertaining novels I've read in a while. It has the humor of J-Pod, but with the heart of Microserfs.
|
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
3.5 stars. Funny, worth the read, November 9, 2007
Douglas Coupland is a damn good writer. Very smart, witty, and funny as hell. I feel like a lot of this book is just about him riffing on the modern world and it's a great ride. Makes you want to go back and find the parts that were so awesome.
I had the same problem with this book as with JPod, though. The novel has an interesting structure and fun characters, but it lacks depth. After a while it just feels like light fun, but I need more nourishment out of a novel. The ending tries to bring it together and provide some of what I see lacking, but it seems a little forced.
I think Coupland is a brilliant writer and I don't know of anyone out there today that provides that sharp wit and perspective into the little things in life, the absurdities, and maybe how to make good of it. I just wish I could say it hit me in the heart more.
|
|
|
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Coupland's best since Hey, Nostradamus!, November 16, 2007
The Gum Thief, in my opinion, is Coupland's best since Hey Nostradamus!, which means a lot since HN! is one of my favorite books of all time.
Every page of The Gum Thief is hilarious. I laughed out loud at least once on every page. As a writer, when I read a Coupland book, I get inspired, especially when it's as good as this.
Well, enough about what I think. Here's a quick plot summation so you can figure out what this book is about:
The Gum Thief follows Roger Thorpe, a mid-40's burnout working a customer service job at a Staples. He is divorced, still in shock from the death of one of his children, and trying to find meaning in a life that's over half gone.
In a strange way, he befriends Bethany, an overweight Goth co-worker of his. Their friendship consists of taking turns writing entries in Roger's diary, espousing their fears about life, death, and try to attach meaning to seemingly meaningless nuances. But Bethany makes the rule that they have to act like they don't know each other around the store.
The novel is in the form of written communication, whether it's Roger and Bethany's diary entries, letters from Roger's ex-wife, letters from Bethany's mom, Staples co-workers, or Roger's novel-in-progress, Glove Pond.
The Gum Thief is about looking for meaning in life, loneliness, the effects of growing older, and the way writing communicates more about our lives than we would say to each other in person. A work of amazing emotional depth, one that I will be musing over for days to come, and one that I will keep on the shelf to read again one day.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Douglas Coupland
by Douglas Coupland
by Douglas Coupland
by Douglas Coupland
by Douglas Coupland
