KEY POINTS:
Bethany and Roger slog out their working days at Staples, a stationery superstore. The pair are suitably depressed - until Bethany finds Roger's notebook and discovers he's writing mock diary entries pretending to be her. The weirdest part is, he's spot on. The two begin an unlikely secret correspondence punctuated with excerpts from Roger's awful novel-in-progress, Glove Pond.
Author Douglas Coupland comes highly recommended for his philosophical commentary on culture in the digital age and his innovative writing style.
But here he seems to have run out of steam. The story has no substance and doesn't foster much attachment to the characters. But despite the gripes, it's the most creatively written story I've come across. Told from multiple perspectives and composed of lots of points of view within points of view, it has a punchy style and amusing but grim humour. This isn't a mainstream novel for the masses. Read it simply because it's different.
Bloomsbury, $35
- Detours, HoS
