So I'd been wanting to read Douglas Coupland books for years and years and years now (probably ever since I went to the Fringe that first time with Krista way back when and was browsing through used bookstores on Whyte Avenue and saw Girlfriend in a Coma and really wanted to read it [I still haven't]). Well, yesterday my roommate tells me that he has a book for me to read, and essentially hands it to me to read after telling me the title is Hey Nostradamus. Now I'm not going to tell you that the title incited me to read it. In fact the title, almost scared me away (I'm sick of all the supermarket tabloids that talk about Nostradamus this, Nostradamus that…working in a Grocery store… *sigh*). But once he handed it to me, the author surprised the heck outa me.
The book's VERY good. I especially liked the first and second sections (I'd call it chapters but they're rather long for chapters). It kind of surprised me really, how close my idea of what this author's books would be like was to reality.
The mix of different perceptions on religion was pretty refreshing. No telling the reader what to think… and it leaves it openended. But very thought provoking.
The story starts with a fictional high school shooting in Vancouver BC… and well… wow… the scene was set I think for the rest of the book. I don't wanna give too much away. But I rather liked the fact that so many recognizable Canadian things were used unobtrusively. Especially things like my workplace, Save-On-Foods. The four voices used in the book were rather strong, different personalities. The worlds of the fiction in which they live were rather unique… removed enough to be real. And I liked how the passage of time affected the characters involved.
Read it. It's a great book. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have had such a hard time putting it down to go to work my 8hrs yesterday.