I have started reading the book JPod, written by Douglas Coupland. The story revolves around the very interesting life of Ethan Jarlewski. Ethan Jarlewski works for a video game company and works with a group who call themselves ‘Jpod’. This is because the all share the common characteristic of a last name that begins with the letter J. Without spoiling too much, the first part of the book is quite the rollercoaster. There is a murder, an affair, and I do not expect it to slow down for the rest of the book. When I first began reading the book I didn’t think that I would enjoy it because I am not interested in really anything video game related, but JPod has proved that it is much more than a book about 6 geeky co-workers.
Something that really made me wonder was how Ethan’s mom possesses a gun. In the novel, Ethan’s mother owns a gun and uses it to threaten someone who had threatened to take half of her “crop” (Coupland, p.36). This made me wonder what Ethan’s mom had to do in order to own the gun. In 1919, a law was made so that a permit had to be obtained for an individual to own a handgun, no matter the reason or where it was kept. That rule has not really changed since then. In order to obtain a permit, individuals had to get a thorough background check. This makes me wonder how did Ethan’s mom get a permit? During the background check, they would have seen her sketchy activities and that she sells marijuana, which was illegal at the time.
One thing that I really enjoy about Coupland’s writing is how he has his characters bad mouth him. He involves his real self into his story and he has the characters talk about him. I found this very interesting because I have never seen it be done before. For example, Coupland writes “Oh God. I feel like a refugee from a Douglas Coupland novel.” Followed by “That asshole.” (p.29). This shows that he is able to make fun of himself and shows his humorous side.
In conclusion, I am excited to continue to read the novel JPod and I would definitely recommend it based on part one of the book.
Works Cited:
Coupland, Douglas. JPod. Frassinelli, 2006.
Government of Canada, Royal Canadian Mounted Police. “History of Firearms Control in Canada: Up to and Including the Firearms Act.” History of Firearms Control in Canada: Up to and Including the Firearms Act – Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 7 Sept. 2016, http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/pol-leg/hist/con-eng.htm.
Press, Jordan. “What to Know about Gun Control in Canada.” Ottawa Citizen, 5 June 2014, ottawacitizen.com/news/national/what-to-know-about-gun-control-in-canada.
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