Douglas Coupland
Shampoo Planet is Coupland's follow-up to his generation-defining Generation X and proves to be an interesting successor when read in this context. This novel follows the same basic structure and tone of Generation X, although it is set a few years later and focuses on a younger and, perhaps, less aimless generation. This book feels very much the same as its predecessor and contains much of Coupland's charm and typical missteps. Coupland's writing style and the strong voice of his narrator do much to capture the feeling of the era as experienced by his characters. Coupland uses some stereotypes in his writing but his major characters rise above them. There are times when main characters Tyler and Anna-Louise seem like they're just quipping stereotypical sound bytes at each other, but there are others in which their cynicism feels incredibly nuanced and appropriate. There is no question that Coupland has a hold on the mindset of these millennial generations, but his wit can be heavy-handed and overbearing at times. When Coupland is on target, however, the book shines as a time capsule of the era and even our own. Shampoo Planet is most definitely a product of the early nineties, but many of its concerns are still felt strongly in today's society- Coupland simultaneously writes in his time and for the future, which perhaps says more about contemporary American society than a present-day novel might.
This book also improves on Generation X in terms of breadth of characterization and plot development. The plot is simple but takes Tyler on his necessary journey; it resolves in a rather silly manner but because the novel concentrates more on interpersonal relationships this awkward resolution is acceptable. Certain characters fall prey to pointless stereotypes (Harmony is a woefully obsessed Dungeons and Dragons nerd who is entirely unrealistic) but others rise above them (ex-hippie Jasmine comes to some interesting conclusions about the world); Coupland, as usual, provides and eccentric and sarcastic yet entirely relatable and likable cast. He also provides and intricate sense of setting from a backpacker's Europe to yuppie-wannabe rural Washington to the unglamorous Hollywood. Shampoo Planet is, like its predecessor, an accessible and interesting novel tied inextricably from its time period but relevant even today. Coupland captures in his nonchalant and conversational style the voice and outlook of a generation trying to strike a balance between their 60s-era parents and the dawning hope of a digitized, corporate future. Coupland is not always eloquent but he is always revealing and more often than not can draw laughs and sympathetic sighs in the same breath. As Tyler says while inscribing dollar bills with revealing one- or two-line observations, "What I write are not sins; I write tragedies."
Grade: A-
This book also improves on Generation X in terms of breadth of characterization and plot development. The plot is simple but takes Tyler on his necessary journey; it resolves in a rather silly manner but because the novel concentrates more on interpersonal relationships this awkward resolution is acceptable. Certain characters fall prey to pointless stereotypes (Harmony is a woefully obsessed Dungeons and Dragons nerd who is entirely unrealistic) but others rise above them (ex-hippie Jasmine comes to some interesting conclusions about the world); Coupland, as usual, provides and eccentric and sarcastic yet entirely relatable and likable cast. He also provides and intricate sense of setting from a backpacker's Europe to yuppie-wannabe rural Washington to the unglamorous Hollywood. Shampoo Planet is, like its predecessor, an accessible and interesting novel tied inextricably from its time period but relevant even today. Coupland captures in his nonchalant and conversational style the voice and outlook of a generation trying to strike a balance between their 60s-era parents and the dawning hope of a digitized, corporate future. Coupland is not always eloquent but he is always revealing and more often than not can draw laughs and sympathetic sighs in the same breath. As Tyler says while inscribing dollar bills with revealing one- or two-line observations, "What I write are not sins; I write tragedies."
Grade: A-
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