:: Oh, Look, A Tumbleweed ::

:: Saturday, July 12, 2003 ::

Two book reviews! (Because I had time at the beach)

GENERATION X ****
By Douglas Coupland
-This is an excellent and utterly succesful attempt at writing short stories but still having a story. The three main characters are Dag, Claire and Andy/Andrew (He goes by both, so I'm kind of confused as to what to refer to him as. Andyrew, let's say) and their fun little adventures of what they call "Bedtime Stories". Quite simply, they just make up stories. Some are funny, some are prophetical, others depressing (Coupland has a fetish with apocolyptic stories) but Coupland always manages to build character and keep us entertained. It's hard to describe this book as nothing much really happens, but it's worth reading for the ending. And for the character changes in Claire and Dag, and how expertly Coupland sneaks them in there (Dag kisses Andyrew, Claire breaks up with her longtime soulmate/friend/boyfriend/but he's actually quite a bastard). The ending is amazingly written and visually impressive. Not as good as Microserfs, but still belongs on a pedastal amongst Shampoo Planet, the aforementioned Microserfs and Life After God.

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER **
By Stephen Chbosky
-Well, one perk is that you can observe your friends and then put their personalities into the books you write. Heidi/Jana/Katie/Elizabeth/Andrew/Diana/Amanda/Any others I'm forgetting...if you recognize yourself in my stories, I hope you don't hunt me down with pitchforks.
But also, why this book sucks. How shall I count the ways? Ah, yes. Okay, Charlie (By the way, if the lead character in a book or movie is named Charlie, it's a bad, bad sign because Charlie is the most unimaginative name ever created and it shows that the author obviously is not creative. I never want to know somebody named Charlie. Fucking pointless) is a ninth grader...who is as naive and innocent and stupid as a second grader. Does Chbosky actually expect me to believe that a ninth grader is going to still cry at the drop of a hat in front of the school? Does Chbosky actually expect me to believe that a ninth grader is going to have sentances structured as badly as Charlie writes? Charlie writes as if he was in fifth grade, not ninth! But, somehow, good ol' Charlie (Who is a ninth grader) somehow starts drinking, smoking and doing drugs...and having sex. No. Sorry. Not cutting it.
But maybe I'm being too harsh. Maybe Charlie has a mental problem. Maybe he's a bit dumber than we are let in on. After all, last time I checked, 16 year olds were sophomores, not freshmen, and I certainly don't know anybody who got their license when they were in ninth grade. So maybe Charlie failed a grade. Yes, he would have had to because he's too stupid and doing things no ninth grader can do.
So, Charlie fails his grade, befriends a kid who commits suicide, and cries. And cries some more. And, somehow, this idiot is befriended by two cool and hip seniors who accept him openly and tell him their secrets (Come on, Chbosky. Patrick is far to open about his relationship to Brad with Charlie. I don't think even Patrick knew more about that relationship than Charlie did. Nobody is this open people. Nobody tells somebody this much about their relationship with ANYBODY after getting to know them in only two weeks. I'm sorry, it just doesn't happen) and invite him to their ultra hip parties. Okay, if Charlie is ostracized from his own grade (And since he failed a grade somewhere [Probably kindergarten] and has a mental problem, I'm not surprised) I highly doubt any senior is just going to accept him with open arms. But Sam (A girl, people) and Patrick do. And where are Charlie's parents? Do they not question why their son is spending so much time away from home? Hmm? I mean, they seem concerned, but Charlie is out a-patrying almost every single night with these people. And at The Big Boy? Do I need to even make a comment about this? And how does some little cretin like Charlie get TWO women and ONE man to lust after him to the point where ONE of the women gets offended when he KISSES THE OTHER WOMEN.
Somebody called this The Catcher In The Rye for our time. In terms of writing style and plot, no. In terms of badness? Yeah, I'll give you that.
One perk of this book? If I EVER teach a seminar or a class on writing, this will be the book I use to instruct people how NOT to write. For instance, make sure your character fits the age level they are meant to be at. There is no way in hell Charlie is 16 unless he has a mental deficancy. He's just not. Bad, bad, bad.

Though, nice photographs on the back.

:: Nick Saturday, July 12, 2003 [+] ::