My boyfriend is a big Douglas Coupland fan, so he often passes his books along to me. I’ve read Coupland’s most well-known book, Generation X, as well as a few others. This is the third or fourth book I’ve read by him and I’ve come to expect a certain style – his novels tend to feature characters who are feeling a little lost in the current culture, experience something crazy (or several crazy somethings), and in the end find a little self-acceptance.
All Families Are Psychotic follows a similar path. The psychotic family in question in this story includes: an astronaut daughter with one hand, divorced parents, a son who’s been in and out of jail, a pregnant girlfriend, a son who has slept with his dad’s new wife, cheating spouses… In the story, these people deal with AIDS, cancer, hold-ups, a letter written by one of Princess Diana’s sons, a wealthy pharmaceutical company owner, grand theft auto… Like I said, Coupland likes to put his characters through some crazy stuff.
This book is fast paced and a pretty quick read. Like the other Coupland books I’ve read, I had a hard time empathizing with the characters and found the story a little strange, but in the end, it was a solid read and I was satisfied with the story.
In a Nutshell: The books I’ve read by Coupland have all been solid threes. This is no different – three stars.
Postscript 