‘Player One’ by Douglas Coupland

While I always endeavour to show variety through my choice of reading material I was simply unable to resist reading another Coupland after feasting so hurriedly on Generation X. Unsurprisingly, I devoured Player One, his thirteenth novel, in just as short a time.

Set in the cocktail lounge of a dismal airport hotel in the midst of a global catastrophe incited by a sudden spike in oil prices, Player One presents the tales of five disparate individuals. There is Karen, a single mother in town on a web-based blind date; Rick, the recovering alcoholic bartender; Luke, a runaway preacher; Rachel, a cool Hitchockian blonde incapable of genuine emotion; and, last but not least, an ominous voice known only as Player One.

I really enjoyed this book, for many of the same reasons I enjoyed Generation X. It is ambitious yet not excruciatingly long, accessible though not strictly commercial, and Coupland is still sickeningly adept at putting a name to unidentified modern phenomena. At times Player One reminded me of Huis Clos, the old existentialist play by Jean-Paul Sartre, though Coupland's dysfunctional characters, especially Rachel, are arguably more interesting than Estelle and Garcin. Sorry Sartre. Be sure not to skip the 'Future Legend' section towards the back of the book - if you are already a Coupland fan you will no doubt find it essential.

This piece was originally published on alisonlaurabell.tumblr.com in January 2012.