Blog #3

Life After God - Douglas Coupland

Pages 167 - 267

In The Desert
Dedicated to Michael Stipe from R.E.M., this is the story of the narrator's trip through the desert. He is alone, but not lonely, even on his birthday. The narrator has experienced the deepest depth of loneliness. He stole syringes and steroids, to deliver to a celebrity trainer. The story is a road story, told as the character travels down Interstate 15, and the journey does not quite go as planned. He has an encounter with a man one his journey that changes his outlook on life completely. I found this story to be one of the most compelling and heart-wrenching. I found it pathetic how low this man has fallen behind in life. I found it to be a very positive and moving experience to read how he changes his life around for the better. He realizes that he is never alone in the presents of god. I find that to be one of the most important messages the author shares in the novel. I often wonder if the man he has the encounter with is actually god in disguise, but i guess that is up the the readers interpretation.


Patty Hearst
The female narrator of this story wonders about her life and the sequence of events that make it up. She first tells a story of a dog that died of a broken heart after its owner's death. I found this to be really depressing and wondered if its possible for anyone -let alone a dog - to die from a broken heart? Near the end of the story itself follows the narrator's trip to possibly find her sister, Laurie, who ran away from home while the main narrator was still young. Laurie had become a drug addict. She explores the feeling of loneliness throughout the tales. I found this story to be one of the most realistic ones. Many people suffer from addiction, i happen to have dealt with family members who have had to cope with addiction and still do to this day. I know how hard it can be to see someone destroy themselves with no regard for themselves or others, or even the long term consequences. Many people turn to god while suffering for addiction, so the story fit in perfectly with them theme of the book. I really enjoyed this story, not only could i relate to what the female narrator was going thought, but i'm sure many others could as well.