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The Gum Thief A Novel Douglas Coupland Books

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The Gum Thief A Novel Douglas Coupland Books

This is fairly familiar territory for Douglas Coupland. He's no stranger to depression and despair. I think this is a good companion piece to Life After God -- that book featured the awkward transition from childhood to full-fledged adulthood and how the characters saw where their lives were heading, and this book is like the dead-end road some of them probably drove on. "The Gum Thief's" main character, Roger Thorpe, isn't having a midlife crisis; it's more like a midlife resignation. He's coming to the realization (in typically calm Coupland demeanor) that he's nothing special, his life will never be great, he'll probably never accomplish anything profound and that he is, like most people, just plodding along working hard for mediocrity. It's all depressing because it's very real. Coupland's characters have a way of easily coming to life through their inner thoughts and feelings. And he's always capable of that brilliant bon mot that succinctly blows a subject up and leaves you wondering how he stole a thought directly from your brain.

"The Gum Thief" has a cool structure. It's Roger's journal, but his coworker, a youngish Goth name Bethany, finds it one day and also contributes to it -- as does her mother on occasion, and we also get Roger's inanely-titled novel-in-progress "Glove Pond," which is basically a take on "Cat of a Hot Tin Roof" but with the fears, concerns and character traits of the characters we've been getting to know.

Bethany is the small ray of hope here -- she's still young enough to change. Even though I think Bethany is probably too articulate and intelligent to believe she's toiling away at Staples, you always find yourself rooting for her. Hoping she makes the right choices, and doesn't end up like Roger and her mother, a particularly desperate and sad character who would rather see her daughter miserable just to keep her close and not be alone.

Coupland doesn't offer any easy answers or happy endings here. There's plenty of deadpan, droll humor, but it has a sad core. I don't recommend this book to anyone feeling lost and hopeless, but I do recommend it for anyone who wants to feel briefly connected to a couple of realistically flawed, amusingly self-aware characters.


Tags : Amazon.com: The Gum Thief: A Novel (9781596911062): Douglas Coupland: Books,Douglas Coupland,The Gum Thief: A Novel,Bloomsbury,1596911069,Humorous - General,Divorced men;Fiction.,Epistolary fiction.,Fiction;Authorship;Fiction.,Authorship,COUPLAND, DOUGLAS - PROSE & CRITICISM,Divorced men,FICTION Humorous General,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction-General,General,General Adult,Humorous fiction,Modern fiction,NOVEL,United States

The Gum Thief A Novel Douglas Coupland Books Reviews

Dear Doug,

I want to apologize for trashing JPOD and also want to trash it again in advance if indeed it is becoming a TV show (at least that is what I heard) That's the bad news.

The good news The Gum Thief brings back the Coupland your fans know and love. I especially liked the dig at the end of the book.

As always awaiting your next book.
Coupland is probably my favorite living writer, and I was blown away by this book. I read the entire book sitting on the floor at Barnes and Nobles (and bought it afterwards, if that tells you anything).

Judging by the reviews here, and from conversations with my friends who read it also, it seems like a lot of people had a hard time with this book. I can understand why, it's a little out of his wheelhouse. So if you're new to Coupland, maybe start with some of his earlier stuff, like JPod, Gen-X, and Microserfs. Gumthief has less of the tech bent than the earlier work, but is still packed with the one liners that make him so awesome.

The book inside a book thing usually blows, not here.

Reread it 6 months ago and loved it.

Highly recommend.
Douglas Coupland's previous effort had me wondering if the spark was gone from his writing, but I was wrong. The Gum Thief has the elements I like best about Microserfs and Generation X populated with characters you recognize from day to day life and told in a unconventional yet comprehensible way.

An excellent choice for commuters. You can start on Monday and be finished by Friday, just reading on the commutes alone.
I like his books. This is not earth shaking but a nice story , a good read, interesting and funny, great insight to those broken or hurting, which is most of us in the this world in one way or the other. Read the book capsule in for the plot line.
The Gum Thief is if nothing else different. The style and pace of the novel is a bit wonky and offbeat, and that is what keeps it interesting. The strongest section of the book is when the main characters are communicating via notes back and forth. It serves as a great narrative for the story and feels fresh and introspective. The main characters are not overly inventive or strong, but the actually storytelling method makes the story very interesting.

There is also the featured story within a story going on. This again provides a slightly more cryptic, but still interesting look at the main character's life. There also some oddball side characters that weave in and out of the story that provides some interesting moments. Overall, a fun and fairly light read.
Coupland's work 'The Gum Thief' is an absolute must read for those familiar to Coupland's work. Why must you be familiar with Coupland's work to truly appreciate this novel? It is an excellent novel and is about fictional characters but could not be more true to life in theme and heart, but only best understood if one is familiar with Coupland's style of writing. That being said, do not make this the first Coupland book you read.

This was a fantastic novel, nonetheless. A story about the perils of every day life, and how these fictional characters translate into the non fiction we have become used to in our own lives. On a deeper level, the truths that we both accept and ignore because of their discomfort. Coupland brings this to the surface with utter triumph. His writing and visual technique makes this a novel that one cannot put down until it ends. If you are looking for something deeper than just a 'story' as well as some deep insight into human nature, this is the book for you.
This is fairly familiar territory for Douglas Coupland. He's no stranger to depression and despair. I think this is a good companion piece to Life After God -- that book featured the awkward transition from childhood to full-fledged adulthood and how the characters saw where their lives were heading, and this book is like the dead-end road some of them probably drove on. "The Gum Thief's" main character, Roger Thorpe, isn't having a midlife crisis; it's more like a midlife resignation. He's coming to the realization (in typically calm Coupland demeanor) that he's nothing special, his life will never be great, he'll probably never accomplish anything profound and that he is, like most people, just plodding along working hard for mediocrity. It's all depressing because it's very real. Coupland's characters have a way of easily coming to life through their inner thoughts and feelings. And he's always capable of that brilliant bon mot that succinctly blows a subject up and leaves you wondering how he stole a thought directly from your brain.

"The Gum Thief" has a cool structure. It's Roger's journal, but his coworker, a youngish Goth name Bethany, finds it one day and also contributes to it -- as does her mother on occasion, and we also get Roger's inanely-titled novel-in-progress "Glove Pond," which is basically a take on "Cat of a Hot Tin Roof" but with the fears, concerns and character traits of the characters we've been getting to know.

Bethany is the small ray of hope here -- she's still young enough to change. Even though I think Bethany is probably too articulate and intelligent to believe she's toiling away at Staples, you always find yourself rooting for her. Hoping she makes the right choices, and doesn't end up like Roger and her mother, a particularly desperate and sad character who would rather see her daughter miserable just to keep her close and not be alone.

Coupland doesn't offer any easy answers or happy endings here. There's plenty of deadpan, droll humor, but it has a sad core. I don't recommend this book to anyone feeling lost and hopeless, but I do recommend it for anyone who wants to feel briefly connected to a couple of realistically flawed, amusingly self-aware characters.