Loopback Filter with Truman Boyes

I have been a big fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez since reading One Hundred Years of Solitude,  and now again I have been impressed with the vivid picture painted by Gabriel Garcia Marquez in Love in the Time of Cholera. I now notice the similarities or rather the intrinsic character of his writing; the love to spell the full and proper name of each of his characters, even when they have been previously introduced and have been the subject of discussions for half the book; and even the detail that is added to the history and the quirky stories about how things came to be for the small towns of Spanish or Carribbean towns. The book is truly unique and  describes many aspects of love that could only be known by someone who has experienced them, and furthermore Gabriel Garcia Marquez (I spelled it out again) takes his time in connecting many seemingly  disparate throughts and stories into an intertwined series of events that read as if they were notes arranged by a master like Beethoven.

Douglas Coupland’s new book JPod has caused fits of hilarious and bizarre laughter and I confess that I too, shared in this laughter by reading his latest book. This is the first book of his that I have read, and when I am looking in search of this type of writing style, I would certainly pick up another of his books. I feel that I should prepare a reader for this book before they pick it up, and yet as much as I enjoyed the read, I would find recommending this book difficult, because there are certain people that would enjoy the geeky artistic nature of the book, and the way that Coupland integrates himself into the story. There are pages and pages of calculations of pi, along with other interesting snippets of “pages”. I am not sure the technique or if there is writing terminology for the concept of referring to one’s true self that exists outside of the story (ie. in real life), and using this character inside the story in a fictional nature. I think the closest term would be “breaking down the forth wall”. Onboard a plane from Singapore to New Zealand, I read through some of the early chapters and laughed outload at some of the situations that were presented; its a good easy read that will surely leave a lasting memory of excellent character development, but also it simply is enjoyable.