mooched from Alarra at bookmooch.com

don't know how to categorize this one. bizarre but involving - I'm looking forward to reading more Coupland soon...

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sent to catsalive as part of the Make Me Read It relay

Thanks, freelunch. "Bizarre but involving", huh? Intriguing.

Liz Dunn is 42 years old, and lonely. Her house is like 'a spinster's cell block', and she may or may not snore -- there's never been anybody to tell her. Then one day in 1997, with the comet Hale-Bopp burning bright in the blue-black sky, Liz receives an urgent phone call asking her to visit a young man in hospital. All at once, the loneliness that has come to define her is ripped away by this funny, smart, handsome young stranger, Jeremy. Her son.

I understand what you mean now, freelunch. I was thinking odd but interesting. There were moments that I enjoyed, & I could understand the Eleanor Rigby link to loneliness & the peculiar things people do, but I can't say I enjoyed it much. That Jeremy brought some well-needed life into Liz' existence was certainly a relief to me. Her existence before his arrival is stultifying. I'm afraid the humour couldn't overcome that initial suffocation for me.

A couple of Coupland's other novels sound interesting. Maybe one day.

Sent to the winner of the CanLit Sweep.

Thank you, Catsalive, the book is here... and just by reading its title, I feel I will enjoy it (I am a huge Beatles fan!)
I like both your comments, freelunch and Catsalive... "bizarre but involving", "odd but interesting"... I am really curious now!
Thanks, it's been a good choice.

Reserved for jkap for the INTL WishList Game.

Currently reading it. :)

Well, I agree with previous readers: "bizarre, odd but interesting".
The initial description of loneliness was quite bitter, although relatives kept coming and going in Liz's life... maybe a sense of inner loneliness and lack of fulfilment. And the depiction of Multiple Sclerosis was downright sad and depressing... unfortunately, close to the truth.
She might not be very attractive, but she holds a nice job and has plenty of savings... enough for first-class plane tickets, hotel suites, complete makeovers... not bad at all...
Potential spoiler:
The part I enjoyed most was her travel in search of her son's father; this was rather surrealistic, with radioactive meteorites, German jails... The airport evacuation and her detention were hilarious...
Personally, I expected she would stay with Herr Bayer... but hey, I am not the writer.
And I object to the description of Rome, quite condescending and... yes, classist. I know it is through the eyes of a student travelling in limited conditions, but anyway...
Some quotes that resonated with me:
"But that what family members are for... We crave them and need them not because we have so many shared experiences to talk about, but because they know precisely which subjects to avoid."
"It has been said, by someone far wiser than myself, that nobody is boring who is willing to tell the truth about himself. To narrow this even further, someone equally wise said that the things that make us ashamed are also the things that make us interesting."
I am glad that the WishList Game gave me the chance to read this novel, which had been sitting on my bookshelves for five years...
Overall, enjoyable and a good read; there are some other novels by Mr Coupland I will possibly look for.

Sent today to jkap; I tagged her with it some months ago.
Thanks for your patience... and enjoy! :)

Received this wish list book in the mail today. Thanks so much for sending. Such a pleasant surprise :)

(15. Feb. 2023) This was my holiday read for the first half of my trip. My favourite facet? This quote;

“I felt like me, but not me. I suppose it's why we like travelling; it's why cults target airports, why train stations sell the flags of all nations. Travel dissolves you. It makes you need to rebuild yourself, forces you to remember where you're from.“

Overall I did enjoy this read. Definitely food for thought, but some of it didn’t sit well with me.

Just finished this book before arriving in Duloe. Hope the finder enjoys the read ☺️