Miss Wyoming: A Novel

This is certainly the best book I have read from Douglas Coupland and one of the best books by a contemporary writer. The characters are very entertaining. They each have their peculiarities and flaws, which makes them so lifelike. The story itself might be a little farfetched, but aren't we all looking for that in books? With other books I read from mr. Coupland, I always had difficulty with the lack of action, but this book is so action-packed that I simply could not put it down. This is modern literature and not just for our fast and furious MTV-influenced youth. It's about a pair of weird people who act just like you and I would in a similair situation as theirs.Just enjoy it, I did!!!

In the past Douglas Coupland's books have felt more like collections of pithy observations and good story ideas than like finished works. Miss Wyoming is the first of Coupland's books that feels like a finished narritive. The book still has the extremely funny bits and mournful tone of Coupland's previous work, but is finally free from the author's habit of continually interrupting his story to insert some tangential observation. Overall, this book is a big improvement from Coupland's previous efforts.

Though not my favorite Coupland (Life After God), I enjoyed Miss Wyoming every bit as much as I've enjoyed all of his other works. If you get nothing else out of his works, you get rich characters and an almost philosophical look at meaning in life. In addition, Miss Wyoming is a great love story. As you read it, you sympathize with the characters to the point that you feel anxiety and love as if you were them. You understand John Johnson's lovesickness and why he can't sleep or eat. You crave resolution. You want John to be able to express everything he feels for Susan. You want the happy ending. You desire the only thing that seems to bring a sense of meaning to the lives on the characters in the book. Miss Wyoming is a gripping book that is hard to put down and at the same time it is a cerebral book that asks the tough questions about life. Thoroughly enjoyable.

I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this book is August. I was very excited, as Douglas is my favourite author (in the spirit of you knowing my bias). I must say the book was great. It reminded me on one level of a Vonnegut novel, but this book was just so 'there' for me. It may not have touched me like Microserfs did, but the books was satisfying. It was like receiving a letter from an old friend and hearing that not only is their life going well, but also that they still think about you. There was just something reassuring in this novel, maybe it was that you don't have to be the persona that you are. It gave me hope that I can stop being cynical (the generations cliched attitude) and project the happy, optomistic person that I am on the inside. I know this hasn't been just about the book, but to me when I read a good book it will bring out these emotions. This isn't like watching EdTV, a shallow, pointless, cliche movie, this is like watching American Beauty or even, dare I say, Fight Club, movies that just touch you inside because they are real. Thank you Douglas for writing a novel that is real and honest.

Get this book, and put it in the hands of people who have never read Coupland's work.I think Coupland has found a great balance between character and plot in this novel. The characters in this book are interesting, engaging, and feel realistic. The dramatic tension from the different story threads moving back and forth in time worked well, I couldn't wait to get back to each thread. In some of Coupland's earlier books I liked the style and fresh point of view more than the story. In Miss Wyoming the style serves to propel the story, the story stands on its own. Read it.