Player One

by Douglas Coupland

Not my favorite Coupland.

I mean, it's fine and a quick read to boot (which is a given with Coupland, anyway), but somehow the story doesn't move much from the setup.

A group of strangers end up at a cocktails lounge near an airport when the world seems to fall into chaos. It starts - like these things usually do - with a sudden rise in the price of gas.

The group is diverse:
Rick, the barkeeper and a recovering alcoholic
Karen, a single mother who flew in for a (quite possibly) one night stand
Luke, a former preacher who took of with his perish's money
Rachel, a woman void of emotion or, really, any human traits
Player One, who is...uhm...also Rachel

The outside world may be disappearing for all we know. There is the occasional contact with Karen's daughter, but they cannot leave the lounge because there is a sniper outside. And why not?

I don't really see the point in all this.

5/10