The Gum Thief

The Gum Thief

Douglas Coupland

Roger and Bethany both work at Staples. A dead end job for both of them, but then their lives seemed to have dead ended quite some time ago. Bethany found a journal that Roger had accidentally left in the break room. She read it and then left him a note. He responded to the note and a friendship, on paper, began. The story is written mostly through the letters and emails that the two use to correspond. Roger is "old" and Bethany is "young", but they both need to find peace with their lives and move beyond the office supply store to become who they were or should have been.

This was the type of book that I enjoyed reading while I hated every moment of it. It was one of the most depressing books and yet had some real thoughts to ponder. I finished the book and I will probably still be thinking about it months from now. In a sad way, it mirrors everyone's life at some point or another. I don't think there is a person out there that can't identify with something written in this book.

It was also sad to me, because I know what my purpose is and I wanted so badly to shake them and let them know that life wasn't pointless. But sadly they were fiction and I couldn't.

I love the way they wove Roger's novel into the story, along with the letters. Even though more and more authors are using this style of writing I enjoyed it.