With this timely, original novel, douglas coupland establishes himself once again as a. Pregnant and secretly married, cheryl anway scribbles what become. Even the epigraph for the book, a passage from 1 corinthians, is taken from a headstone of one of the. Coupland was born on a canadian military base in germany. Considering some of his past subjectsslackers, dotcommers, hollywood producersa columbinelike high school massacre seems like unusual territory for the. Using the voices of four characters deeply affected by a highschool shooting, though in remarkably different ways, douglas coupland explores the lingering aftermath of one horrifying event, and. As a matter of course i rarely reread a book, but i may make an exception in the case of hey nostradamus.
Using the voices of four characters deeply affected by a highschool shooting, though in remarkably different ways, douglas coupland explores the lingering. Norstedt, 2004 referenser redigera redigera wikitext. Its among coupland s most serious efforts, yet his intent is not entirely clear. Certainly there is no attempt at psychological insight into the killers motives, and the most developed relationshipsthose between jason and cheryl, and jason and reg. His target here couplands work doesnt so much have themes as targets is. The story of one family piecing itself back together after a tragic highschool shooting, hey nostradamus. He followed that with a sequence of evermore daring and inventive novels, including life after god, girlfriend in a coma and hey nostradamus. The 1999 columbine massacre was one impetus for hey nostradamus. Novel by douglas coupland centred on a fictional 1988 school. Nov 12, 2007 douglas coupland is an amazing writer and hey nostradamus. Preloaded digital audio player, 9781606409343, 1606409344. Douglas coupland is an amazing writer and hey nostradamus. Coupland 1 never convinces me that regs unrelenting, myopic, savage pieties could let alone would spring from a mennonite upbringing and worldview indeed, coupland exhibits so little understanding of the mennonite perspective as to leave one wondering why reg is written as having come from a mennonite home in the first place, and 2 remains wearily incapable of giving his characters voices and ways of seeing the world distinct either from one another or from himself, and 3 commits the car. Ive read all of couplands books, and theyre all astounding in their own way with the exception of elanor rigby, ugh, buy hey nostradamus.
The website of canadian author and artist douglas coupland. Novel by douglas coupland centred on a fictional 1988 school shooting in suburban vancouver, british columbia and its aftermath. This book touches upon many different aspects of life, ranging. Its about people who want to change themselves, but cant. Lying on the accessible side of cult fiction it has wide appeal. We never find what motivates the killers, and were frankly not interested. Book details tradebooks for courses macmillan publishers. Douglas coupland, in full douglas campbell coupland, born december 30, 1961, badensollingen, germany, canadian journalist and novelist best known for observations on modernday american culture and for popularizing the term generation x. Douglas coupland was born on a canadian armed forces base in badensollingen, germany, in 1961. What starts as a ya account of her death by a naive teenag.
Hey nostradamus is an instance of entirely unredeemed original sin, an example of writing because one can write with nothing much to write about. There are wars and budgets and bombings and vast dimensions of wealth and greed and ambition and corruption. This book touches upon many different aspects of life, ranging from tragedy, false accusations, religious fanatics and hypocrites. Douglas coupland first came to prominence as the author of generation x 1995. Yet his new novel seems curiously and uncharacteristically blunt. Books fiction i am aware that there is a world out there that functions without regard to me. Hey nostradamus, hast du was hier passierte prophezeit. And yet i dont feel a part of that world, and i wouldnt know how to join if i tried. Coupland has a rare ability to tell a story that should be depressing but instead manages to make it so much more. A high school shooting reminiscent of the columbine massacre sets the plot in motion for douglas couplands hey nostradamus. He is the author of the novels miss wyoming, generation x, and girlfriend in a coma, among others, as well.
Editions for hey nostradamus 1582344159 paperback published in 2004, 0007162510 paperback published in 2009, 1582343586 hardcover published in 200. His family relocated to canada in the mid1960s, and he grew up in vancouver. Rather than aspire to sweeping statements about society, he focuses on four of the lives that were profoundly affected by a senseless school massacre. A high school shooting reminiscent of the columbine massacre sets the plot in motion for douglas coupland s hey nostradamus. His work has been translated into thirtyfive languages and. I especially enjoyed the multiple character approach to telling the story, it makes the book wellrounded. Just one page of this book will make you laugh and cry. February 2004 bryan miller fiction hey nostradamus by douglas coupland. Readers of douglas coupland s more recent fictions have become accustomed to encountering characters touched by tragedy, whether it be falling into comas, surviving plane crashes or becoming infected with the aids virus after bizarre shooting incidents. It takes place almost entirely in north and west vancouver, and revolves around kids in high school, and what becomes of them and their families. Nov 11, 2005 douglas coupland is good at creating bizarre situations that happen to characters that seem very real. I especially enjoyed the multiple character approach to.
Playaway adult fiction by douglas copeland, douglas coupland, jenna lamia david ledoux. What i want to address here is the awesome quality of this reading. If anything, coupland is again offering us a work of historical seismology the novel. Through his characters struggles with belief, is douglas coupland. Like i think god is how you deal with everything thats out of your own control.
Pregnant and secretly married, cheryl anway scribbles her last will and testament and erie premonition on a school binder shortly before a rampaging trio of misfit. Perhaps thats the authors point, the vacuity of life in vancouver. I am aware that there is a world out there that functions without regard to me. Pregnant and secretly married, cheryl anway scribbles her last will and testament and erie premonition on a school binder shortly before a rampaging trio of. Douglas coupland was born on a nato base in germany in 1961. This book touches upon many different aspects of life, ranging from. Douglas coupland may steal your soul, but he feels badly about it the first narrator in hey nostradamus. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet and ios and android devices. The four characters start with victim cheryl, young, in love, and a realistic seventeen. Related books has quoted 2 years ago the five most unattractive traits in people are cheapness, clinginess, neediness, unwillingness to change and jealousy. There are many deaths, some deserved, some uncertain, some shockingly random. He is the author of the international bestsellers generation x and jpod, and nine other novels, including the gum thief, hey nostradamus.
Our book group choice for may 2004 is hey nostradamus. Douglas coupland has 76 books on goodreads with 325752 ratings. Douglas coupland s most popular book is generation x. The novel is divided into four parts each narrated by a different character. Pregnant and secretly married, cheryl anway scribbles what becomes her last will and testament on a school binder shortly before a rampaging trio of misfit classmates gun her down in a high school cafeteria. It was first published by random house of canada in 2003. Mar 15, 2004 the story of one family piecing itself back together after a tragic highschool shooting, hey nostradamus. The connections between the characters are at first, not obvious. Again, coupland hits on the pulse of our modern world and our future for that matter. Coupland 1 never convinces me that regs unrelenting, myopic, savage pieties could let alone would spring from a mennonite upbringing and worldview indeed, coupland exhibits so little understanding of the mennonite perspective as to leave one wondering why reg is written as having come from a mennonite home in the first place, and 2 remains wearily incapable of giving his characters voices.
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