May 25, 2014

Book 11: Worst. Person. Ever.

Worst. Person. Ever.
Douglas Coupland

Ever the master of cynical witticisms, Douglas Coupland's latest offering is full of the sarcasm one comes to expect from his works; unfortunately, however, this particular book relies too heavily on shock value and too little on effective plotting or character development. I've read several of Coupland's books and usually appreciate his biting insights, but Worst. Person. Ever. falls flat for me for a number of reasons. First and foremost among these is the penultimate plot twist, which is yet another in a series of unfortunate events to befall our narrator, Raymond, who is a truly loathsome creature indeed. But this twist, just when it seems that things might turn out okay for this utterly despicable man, is unnecessary and handled in such a way that it is easily the most offensive moment in a novel narrated by an unrepentant misogynist. My main problem with the "joke" is the way it is handled: just after Raymond encounters the pivotal fact, there is an abrupt chapter break and scene change, without comment. This exposes the author's belief that the audience will inherently understand (and implicitly agree) that, yes, this is a terrible turn of events that Changes Everything. I'm not one to call for political correctness for its own sake (or I wouldn't have made it past the book's second paragraph), but the implication that this particular characteristic supersedes every other aspect of the character's personality is at best a mishandled criticism of the attitude that the book itself accidentally fosters and at worst an outright hateful. Of course Raymond believes this turn of events disqualifies him from a happy ending (and on some level I can appreciate the character's consistency), but the fact that his feeling remains unstated requires that readers agree- and gives the book a sour aftertaste for those who absolutely do not.

Similarly, I assume (or at least desperately hope) that the novel is an attempt to comment on (rather than endorse) the abhorrent views that Raymond and his ilk espouse through exaggeration and hyperbole. In a way, the entire novel is a joke based on Raymond's initial affirmation in his belief in karma- and indeed, it is pleasant to see him constantly getting the comeuppance he so richly deserves, often in spades. However, it is sometimes difficult to parse the novel's rampant misogyny, and I would have hoped that Coupland would do more to deliberately call out and undercut Raymond's more odious beliefs and statements. I appreciate the neat trick Coupland pulls in making the reader almost want to root for this utterly horrid individual, and the consistency of Raymond's voice and character, but despite the book's obvious satirical take on the subject matter it leaves a lingering feeling of discomfort.

Despite its flaws, Worst. Person. Ever. is occasionally very funny and does display traces of Coupland's signature wit, as deployed in his best work. Here is an author who has a very pointed view of the modern world, and I always welcome his insights on subjects as diverse as the ideology behind reality show casting, pollution, the use of nuclear weapons, and Americans' vocal public distaste for f-bombs. At times I literally laughed out loud or silently smiled in absolute agreement. Likewise, some (but by no means all) of the plot twists are equally well conceived as things manage to go from terrible to somehow worse. Some, however, are far too bizarre even for a novel so clearly devoted to the utterly absurd. The humor is intended to be over-the-top, but it still must be delivered with a modicum of restraint that Coupland (and his editors) seem to lack; many elements of the story are so completely random that they end up distracting the reader. There's nothing wrong with having a number of very clever and outlandish ideas, but trying to cram them all into a novel (even a novel like this) rarely works to the book's best advantage. Thus the book contains one of the funniest and most bitingly satirical uses of nuclear weapons this side of Dr. Strangelove, as well as a completely unsatisfying, abrupt ending that rankles regardless of the reader's opinion of Raymond's own satisfaction with this conclusion. For every good idea in the book there are a handful of less effective sneers and would-be jokes that fall flat and detract from the narrative.

Though the novel is crammed with the type of caricatured (yet individualized) individuals one expects from this type of romp, there is a severe drop-off from the well-realized Raymond to the other main players. The idea for the primary sidekick- a previously homeless man who turns out (naturally) to be a total babe magnet- is solid and rife with opportunities for genuinely funny jokes, but the potential is wasted as Coupland runs this good idea (like so many others in the book) into a cliff. This character takes on traits and knowledge whenever the author deems it convenient, and though I know better than to assume that the book will be particularly realistic I still found myself frustrated by these far too common incidents. The lack of a straight man hurts the novel and ultimately contributes to a sense of utter ridiculousness that renders much of its insights moot. There are pleasant aspects of the novel (the integration of humorous factoid "sticky notes" is a nice callback to the footnotes of Generation X), but ultimately it lacks consistency outside of its main character's devotion to horrible ideologies. Worst. Person. Ever. contains glimpses of Coupland's genius and a few truly hilarious observations and situations, but overall the book is far too scatterbrained (and actually offensive) to make a positive lasting impression.

Grade: C

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