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I'm a little conflicted over my reaction to this novel. Because it was an undeniably enjoyable read and there was literally not a chapter which didn't make me laugh out loud. And yet, I feel... underwhelmed.

I feel I should preface this review by saying, Coupland is my favourite author. Like, by a really long way. I love all his books insanely much. (Well, except Shampoo Planet. No one loves Shampoo Planet. Except Ryan Ross, apparently.) I want to write like him. I would happily only ever read Coupland-esque books, if enough existed.

That said, what I admire most about his writing is how he has matured. Because I am not one of those people who falls over themselves at how AWESOME Generation X is. It's not. It's a jumping off point -- and the depth, the humanity Coupland has put into his novels in the past 15 years make it look... paltry. Eleanor Rigby completely, completely blew me away. I was expecting to hate it, but its beauty is so understated and genuinely poignant. Seriously: wow.

Which is why I was hesitant when I read the description of jPod. It sounded like Microserfs updated and remixed with All Families Are Psychotic. Which it basically is. And don't get me wrong, it's quite a feat to be as successfully zeitgeisty and funny as a Microserfs update calls for. But compared to Eleanor Rigby? Feels undeniably like a step backwards.

It was also the first Coupland (barring Shampoo Planet :P) that felt repetitive to me. I've met Ethan before. (In fact, it just took me 30 seconds to remember his name, he's so familiar... as Richard, as Dan.) The romance between Ethan and Kaitlin, in particular, I barely felt like I had to concentrate on, because I knew exactly what was going to happen. Neurotic Boy + Quirky Girl = Cute, Functional Relationship. It's not a bad trope, but it's still a trope (Garden State, anyone?). It's also extremely familiar in the Coupland universe.

Confession time: Coupland novels tend to make me cry. Really a lot. Girlfriend In A Coma is the worst, but Microserfs also makes me sob. jPod, even though it rationalized this, felt emotionally void. I wasn't left with any kind of strong emotional connection to any of the characters. And frankly, the warm characterization is what has always separared Coupland from the Bret Easton Ellises of the writing world. (I can't abide Bret Easton Ellis. He's an extraordinarily talented writer. Hate his books.)

I took a Contemporary Literature class a couple of years ago and my very smart lecturer was talking, in passing, about Coupland and said that he was the kind of author to write himself into his books. My reaction was, pffft! bitch, please. But I guess she was right; I was wrong. :/ Although metafiction is a pet peeve of mine, I really don't mind it when it's done in the right measure with the right amount of irony. jPod certainly wasn't Philip Roth's Operation Shylock (which I felt fell headfirst into its own wankery), and Coupland-as-a-Machiavellian-tycoon certainly made me laugh a lot. Still, it makes me twitch a little.

I feel like this is the book a lot of people (the people who think Generation X is AWESOME and never bothered to read much else of his work) have been expecting from Coupland. The book that's smarter-than-thou and wittily postmodern. And to his credit, he wrote it on his own terms and made it very funny. I just hope he gets back to writing with the heart of Girlfriend In A Coma and Eleanor Rigby in future.