Book Beat February 13 2002 (1)

Douglas Coupland turns 40 this year, and so does Generation X, (a term he helped shove into our collective conscious nearly a decade ago). It only seems appropriate then, that Coupland’s characters have finally grown up, as well.

In his latest book, All Families are Psychotic, the author has taken the same quirky sense of story that made him a favorite of critics and creates a plot so unbelievable that one can’t help but read to the end.

All Families are Psychotic is a few days in the life of a family in crisis. The Drummonds, torn apart by almost freakish circumstances, are reunited in Florida to watch daughter Sarah, the family’s only white sheep, launch into space.

The rest of the Drummonds are a Jerry Springer episode just waiting in the wings. Among them are the alcoholic patriarch Ted; his current trophy wife Nickie; his first wife, the saintly Janet; two sons (suicidal Bryan and loser Wade) and their pregnant significant others.

Toss in drugs, AIDS, black market babies, kidnapping, cures for cancer and a ton of freak coincidences, and the story starts to gel in a style distinct to Coupland alone. In his most mature novel yet, he mixes bizarre family politics with wry humor and a hint of science fiction.

Because Coupland has created a nearly unsympathetic cast, it’s gratifying to see just how much bad karma can haunt one family. And true to Coupland’s style, All Families Are Psychotic is populated with a slew of pop culture references, from HIV drug cocktails to sleazy chat rooms.

Tapping sensational events and a family of losers for laughs, Coupland’s seventh novel ranks among his best. Like the generation that latched onto his books nearly a decade ago, Coupland and his work have matured. To the surprise of many, he has managed to hold onto the wit and oddity that made Generation X and Shampoo Planet required reading for a continent full of Doc Marten-wearing twentysomethings.

If his latest book is any indication, growing up may not be as bad as we feared.??