Worst. Person. Ever., Coupland's first full-length novel in a few years, is nothing short of twisted genius, a seething chorus of expletive-laden musings about modern culture. Raymond Gunt, Coupland's rueful narrator, is a foul-mouthed, sex-crazed misogynist and unemployed cameraman with few redeeming qualities. He has scored a job to shoot a Survivor-type reality show from his ex-wife, Fiona, whom he describes as an "atomic bomb of pain." Soon, he befriends a homeless, Duran Duran-loving personal assistant named Neal, whom he intends to enslave while on the job.
Along the way, the tables are turned against Raymond: Neal's sweet temper and tenderheartedness curry favor with the very ladies Raymond tries to woo; Raymond's penchant for cruel wisecracking earns him repeat trips to the slammer; and when he does finally reach his remote island destination, he stumbles upon an endless sea of chaos and comic misfortunes, all while attempting to make lemonade out of lemons. "When things turn to sh*t--as they invariably do--I never think it's me who's done something wrong. It's the f***ing universe having a bad day, and I just happened to be there."
Coupland is a master at creating reprehensible slackers who just happen to be disarmingly likeable and lovable, with a barbarous wit that stings in its assessment of mass culture. The result is a sort of strange poetry, a love song of humanity's hopeful nihilism and thirst for self-destruction delivered with Coupland's characteristic sarcasm and deadpan humor. --Nancy Powell, freelance writer and technical consultant