First off, when I took this approx 500 page book called "Jpod"*, I expected a bore of a read relating to iPods and technology in today's society. Something corny I suppose. One weekend later and I've finished the book, regretting that I had not taken the time to enjoy it more. The way the book is composed at first glance is different. When I first flipped through the pages, I realized that randomly the text was broken up. Large lists of random numbers, Chinese text, and what seemed to be screenplay all scared me to what this book could lead to. However the construction of how its all meshed together is quite effective in keeping the readers attention.
For the most part, the book is written in first person by Ethan Jarlewski, who is self-defined as a techie. The way Coupland has chosen to narrate the book through Ethan is amazingly witty. There are so many characters in the book, with problems and whatnot, that Ethan weaves his way through. In the end, all of their stories and experiences all come together, as weird as they all might be (From deaths of helium intake, to marijuana grow-ops, smuggling of refugees, and ballroom dancing).
When Ethan is not narrating the book in first person, the pages are littered with tid-bits of information relating to the story, or perhaps what Ethan or his co-workers are seeing on their screen. For instance, to introduce the 6 programmers who worked in "Jpod"*, Ethan declared he would "draw up a standerized list that itemizes everything special and unique" about his coworkers. This was an effective way to create a basic outline that didn't completely define each character, but was a good start to build from.
The plot is seemlessly scattered, and does not follow the rules of "Climax" and "Rising Action" at first glance. It follows more of a TV Show outline(Which I found later, has already been made in 2008). Events happen, and in the end they all coordinate together. The Climax in my opinion would be (Spoiler Alert) the first time Doug Coupland asks for the laptop from Ethan.
* "JPod" is defined as the pod(a group of cubicles), in which these programmers work at. The reason they call it "JPod" is because all the members in this pod, have a first/last name starting with J. (Ethan Jarlewski, John Doe, etc)
This is an excellent first post Chris. It's a pretty cool and unusual book. You should pay close attention to Kate Lindner's oral presentation on Post-Modern literary criticism next Tuesday [September 22] as it will DEFINITELY apply to this novel. It will provide you with a useful [and appropriate] way to approach further discussion and analysis of this novel. Good Luck. Coupland rocks.
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