Coupland encapsulates moments in an amorphous world
By Jouvon M. Evans
Lance Writer
November 11, 2009
 In Douglas Coupland’s new book, Generation A, he sets out to do what he does best in all of his other books— encapsulating a moment in an amorphous world from a Canadian viewpoint.
In a near future brought to its knees by a single extinction, five men and women from all over the world are stung by an extinct insect: a bee.
And if you think about it, it is scary how critical these pollinating, honey producing, diligent little creatures are despite humanity being determined to procrastinate until the last minute on any measures to avoid the deterioration of our planet.
Without them many of our crops are wiped out, flowers stop blooming, and people on diets will have to stop convincing themselves that Stevia tastes anything like real sugar.
This near future apocalyptic world stemming from minor, seemingly inconsequential, events is a road already well traveled in literature.
This book focuses on storytelling, becoming a snapshot of 21st century digital use in real time. Most of the characters are well versed in technology like Samantha, from New Zealand, who makes earth sandwiches with a pal in Madrid or Julien, from Paris, who spent days in World of Warcraft until his avatar vanished and he finds himself contemplating his desire to witness humanity’s next mutation.
Different and disparate as they may be, all of them are brought together, at first nice and slow then abruptly by Coupland’s hand, to Canada’s archipelago, Haida Gwaii.
Each character makes heavy reference to his likes and dislikes like an eHarmony questionnaire. By the end, we either want to date these people or chuck them to the reject bin. The oldest of the bee-stung characters is born in 1990. All of them are childish in a way, stunted by circumstance or by choice, all of them refusing any sort of maturity in the face of the momentous acts before them.
Each of his characters wants so desperately to expand the meaning of what it is we are, deriving significance from their theories to their social ticks. It can’t be a coincidence that the Canadian, Diana, has Tourette’s Syndrome, speaking freely as no other character can and even going so far as to say of herself, “With me, what you hear is what you are.”
In the beginning they are isolated from each other, in terms of space and time. From Sri Lanka to New Zealand, it takes time to get each of the characters together. Initially the world is seen solely through their petulant eyes until their lives are fast-forwarded to Canada.
What is truly disturbing is that no matter where they are supposed to be from or their education level, everyone sounds as if they grew up in suburban Vancouver, downtown Toronto, roaming Windsor’s Riverside, and Alberta in the unbearable heat of July. Harj’s (from Sri Lanka) boss fusses over his bottle of Johnny Walker Red. Isn’t this what the people who protest the globalization at G8 summits have been warning us would happen?
Now the entire globe is sharing in the homogeny of our North American culture, all of us not knowing we’ve cloned ourselves time and time again, eradicating any individuality. Is this the mutation Julien is awaiting to see?
The apocalypse in Coupland’s eyes isn’t a momentous tidal wave in 2012 or an Independence Day blow out. We slowly die out, fading from the history that once held so much power, and mutate into wholly new fears we’ve been warning ourselves about for the past few years now: extinction, global warming, earth consuming landfills, technological disconnect, globalization, apathy, and so much more.
Coupland’s style is at once generously inviting and aloof. The people of his world tend to be coloured with damage and loneliness, which motivates their actions. Their relationships tend only to distort this reality, not remove it.
Coupland’s Generation A provides its readers with something most books regarding the 21st century tend to exaggerate with their spaceships, automatic light sensors, entire meal pills, and rocket sneakers.
His world creates a genuine story that feels futuristic to us in the here and now. More true to each of us and more terrifying than any Saw sequel. Welcome to the next 10 years.
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