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Martian · 02-18-2008, 12:48 AM

Well, I've read jPod. And I really wanted to enjoy it. I did enjoy it, but it certainly isn't Microserfs.

Anyone who hasn't read the book and would like to do so unspoiled should not read any further.

The characters are defined by their quirks to the point of one-dimensionality. Cowboy is a cough syrup-swilling sex fiend, Kam is a crazy charismatic Chinese gangster, John Doe is obsessively normal, etc. I understand why these things are included, but there is absolutely nothing more to these characters. As a result they feel more like sit-com characters than anything else. It's impossible to build up any empathy for them because they're not human.

I enjoyed Coupland's self-portrayal and I wonder if he's truly as evil and exploitative as he depicts himself to be. All the same, the subplot of him buying Ethan's laptops felt forced. It's as if Coupland read through his first draft, realized that there was no way readers would suspend disbelief to that level and added this whole twist of him buying someone's life instead of writing a piece of fiction to try to lend the book an air of authenticity. That's not really necessary, as part of the book's charm is that it's so damn surreal. Ethan's mother is running a highly regulated and very lucrative grow-op in the basement and has no problem with threatening bikers with a gun to extract debts. No character in the book thinks anything of this. Kaitlyn, who at that point in the novel has just started dating Ethan, has no issue with helping her boyfriend's mother sort and weigh cannabis buds. Kam Fong sells a character into slavery and everyone (including the one sold) seems to love him all the more for it. This is all inherently unbelievable and trying to ground it just doesn't work.

There's also the issues of the games the jpodders play. I understand, they're geeks, they do random things, they're all mildly autistic. But I don't need to flip through ten pages of Pi to understand that they're looking for a digit out of sequence. I don't need to flip through ten pages of random numbers two pages later to get that they're doing the same damn thing all over again. This seems more like a device to pad a 250 page book out to 500 pages more than anything else.

All of these are actually minor quibbles with the story, however, and I could've enjoyed the book despite them. The big problem I had with it is that there is no plot. The story simply includes a series of subplots loosely tied together with no over-arching theme or dramatic tension. The plots aren't resolved so much as they eventually just peter out. I kept expecting everything to come together but it never happened; eventually the book just ended, and that was that.

For all that, I did enjoy the book, but I was largely disappointed with it; I've come to expect more from Coupland's work. I think I would've enjoyed it much more than I did if I'd gotten it from the library, but unfortunately the city workers are on strike here and I ended up buying it. I justified the purchase because I always have enjoyed Coupland's previous efforts, but now I feel cheated having paid $20 for a book I know I'm never going to read again. I get the social commentary aspect, but I feel like as a writer of fiction one should always strive first to tell a story that's enjoyable, and I feel like Coupland lost sight of that with jPod. He managed it all the same, but just barely.

I'm going to check out the tv series next. I actually feel like this premise could work better in that medium, but I guess we'll see how that goes. Impressions after I've watched a few episodes.

02-18-2008, 12:48 AM	#6 (permalink)
Martian Young Crumudgeon Location: Canada	Well, I've read jPod. And I really wanted to enjoy it. I did enjoy it, but it certainly isn't Microserfs. Anyone who hasn't read the book and would like to do so unspoiled should not read any further. The characters are defined by their quirks to the point of one-dimensionality. Cowboy is a cough syrup-swilling sex fiend, Kam is a crazy charismatic Chinese gangster, John Doe is obsessively normal, etc. I understand why these things are included, but there is absolutely nothing more to these characters. As a result they feel more like sit-com characters than anything else. It's impossible to build up any empathy for them because they're not human. I enjoyed Coupland's self-portrayal and I wonder if he's truly as evil and exploitative as he depicts himself to be. All the same, the subplot of him buying Ethan's laptops felt forced. It's as if Coupland read through his first draft, realized that there was no way readers would suspend disbelief to that level and added this whole twist of him buying someone's life instead of writing a piece of fiction to try to lend the book an air of authenticity. That's not really necessary, as part of the book's charm is that it's so damn surreal. Ethan's mother is running a highly regulated and very lucrative grow-op in the basement and has no problem with threatening bikers with a gun to extract debts. No character in the book thinks anything of this. Kaitlyn, who at that point in the novel has just started dating Ethan, has no issue with helping her boyfriend's mother sort and weigh cannabis buds. Kam Fong sells a character into slavery and everyone (including the one sold) seems to love him all the more for it. This is all inherently unbelievable and trying to ground it just doesn't work. There's also the issues of the games the jpodders play. I understand, they're geeks, they do random things, they're all mildly autistic. But I don't need to flip through ten pages of Pi to understand that they're looking for a digit out of sequence. I don't need to flip through ten pages of random numbers two pages later to get that they're doing the same damn thing all over again. This seems more like a device to pad a 250 page book out to 500 pages more than anything else. All of these are actually minor quibbles with the story, however, and I could've enjoyed the book despite them. The big problem I had with it is that there is no plot. The story simply includes a series of subplots loosely tied together with no over-arching theme or dramatic tension. The plots aren't resolved so much as they eventually just peter out. I kept expecting everything to come together but it never happened; eventually the book just ended, and that was that. For all that, I did enjoy the book, but I was largely disappointed with it; I've come to expect more from Coupland's work. I think I would've enjoyed it much more than I did if I'd gotten it from the library, but unfortunately the city workers are on strike here and I ended up buying it. I justified the purchase because I always have enjoyed Coupland's previous efforts, but now I feel cheated having paid $20 for a book I know I'm never going to read again. I get the social commentary aspect, but I feel like as a writer of fiction one should always strive first to tell a story that's enjoyable, and I feel like Coupland lost sight of that with jPod. He managed it all the same, but just barely. I'm going to check out the tv series next. I actually feel like this premise could work better in that medium, but I guess we'll see how that goes. Impressions after I've watched a few episodes. __________________ I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame