Something about this book hooked me from the start, either the characters, or their situations, or a combination of both. The narrative jumps around a bit but it adds to the need to keep reading, rather than be distracting. ( )

insubstantial, puffy ( )

Another fun book by Douglas Coupland with a combination of crazy plot scenarios and insightful musings regarding what makes people tick. Not as good as All Families are Psychotic but a fun read. ( )

This was my first Douglas Coupland novel, and man oh man I do not plan on it being my last. I doubt this is a novel for everyone. The whole thing is a little bit kooky and surreal, and lot over the top and unbelievable, and yet, when everything is pulled together, it works remarkably well.

I think what I liked most about this novel is the focus on modern values and lifestyles. It’s a novel where people make their own families and parents aren’t always right, and money and fame are two very powerful, desirable things. In a lot of ways, I think this novel would suit the teenage generation quite well. But what I really connected with, more than anything, was the idea of wanting to remake yourself, to tear down your previous life and persona and start completely fresh. I think it’s a concept everyone can relate to. Maybe it’s something that just resonates strongly with me at this particular point in my life, and if so, that’s fine, but it’s just a feeling that struck home emotionally with me and I found myself very drawn too.

Even without that emotional connection I had, I think that just the storyline itself is interesting enough to draw readers in. You’re following the lives of two damaged people, and as the plot jumps back and forth in time, you learn more and more about what drives them forward. It’s definitely character driven, which I appreciate. The balance between character and plot is good. The story isn’t linear, and there’s nothing to really mark where you are in time, which can get a bit confusing, but overall it’s fairly easy to determine where you are a few paragraphs into each chapter.

All in all, I’ve since place several orders at my library for many of Coupland’s other books. If the rest of his works are like Miss Wyoming, I think I may have discovered a new favorite author. ( )

A thoroughly enjoyable and deeply satisfying novel, peopled with believably damaged characters and interesting reflections on the nature of celebrity. ( )