Generation A

“Generation A”, by Douglas Coupland takes place in a future in which bees are extinct. Over the span of a few months, five people from around the world are stung by bees. In an attempt to find the reason why they were stung by bees, their governments take them in to an isolated facility to study them. Later, after being released, the five people meet up and discover a conspiracy relating to the disappearance of the bees.

Although there is some degree of character development in this novel, many of the characters appear to be very simple and one-dimensional. One character who shows some character development is Zach, who starts off completely irresponsible but becomes more mature over time. The dialog in this novel is unconvincing and doesn’t contribute to realistic characters. The characters come from many different places from around the world, such as Canada, Sri Lanka, and France, and range in age from their early twenties to late thirties. However, the dialog is very similar for all of these characters, and comes across as unnatural and much more formal than people would actually use in conversation.

One quote I enjoyed was when the five people were choosing voices to talk to them in the research facility. “Diana chose Courtney Cox Arquette and Harj chose Morgan Freeman, which was probably the best pick. Harj understands Hierarchy.” I liked this quote because it shows some of the humor from the novel, which was one of my favorite aspects of it. The following quotes are also good examples of humor in this novel: “When I was young, I had a job helping my oldest brother escort young people - mostly young American tourists – around the island as they tried to ‘find themselves. Oh, the awful conversations I have had to endure, listening to a Kris or a Max or an Amy or a Craig discuss what it means ‘to be free in one’s head.’” and “I have never understood what these Craigs mean about feeling ‘at one’. Maybe they just need jobs. Perhaps all of the antibiotics they took as children damaged the portion of their brains that dictates the sensation of at-oneness.” These quotes made the book enjoyable, even though the story and ch