Generation A by Douglas Coupland

So as you may gather I'm a big Douglas Coupland fan. Or should I say was? It's one of those less desirable quirks of time passing that your heroes (ok heroes is probably a little strong but cant think of a better softer term that's less lame sounding than "favourite writer") are fallable and more than that with the passing of time they will disapoint you. And so it is with Douglas Couplands new book that I've just finished reading (whilst on hols in Oz). For any Coupland aware people out there the parallels between this book and his still most famous novel Generation X are clear in both the title and in the subject of young listless individuals searching for meaning by engaging in story telling. However that's pretty much where the similarities end. Where as Gen X was fresh and original when it came out Gen A is like a stale, decaff version of its ancestor. Where Gen X was somehow managed to come across as emotionally powerful and almost spiritual in both its narrative and its characters existential angst and sense of being lost, Gen A is just vacuum packed. There's little story, little difference between any of the characters and after peddling the same uber cool zeitgeist prose for so long little of any originality.

The decline has been coming for some time lets hope its not terminal. But you get the feeling its going to require something profound for Coupland to reclaim his form.

Dont be fooled by the jacket on this novel which seems to carry an incredible amount of praise for the book. Most of the reviews I've checked out online seem to be equally scathing!

Over and out.