Inspired by how much I liked the previous Coupland book I just finished reading, I decided to try this one. I am equally impressed. In both books, Coupland has created these oddball situations that happen to characters that seem very real. Both books make you think about things other than the events currently unfolding on the pages in front of you. Why haven’t I heard of this author before?

This book is, on the surface, about a massacre at a high school. Three teens go into the school cafeteria one day, and proceed to blow away several of their classmates. This was something I had actual nightmares about after hearing about Columbine, and during the years I used to be a Substitute Teacher. It’s what made me initially interested in reading this book. It’s not at all a book “for the holidays”, however. Its a horrible mess, graphically described through the book from the viewpoint of more than one character.

The first chapter is from inside the head of a girl that died in that massacre. The second one if from her young husband, who is also a student in the school. (How that happened is not how you might expect), but about 10 years later. The third chapter is from a woman who meets him years later, and the last if from his father, who is basically a jerk.

Throughout it the book, each character is trying to come to terms with God and the Afterlife. It starts with the teens, who were involved in Christian youth groups, (with kids that acted something other than Christian), but all the characters are asking questions. Why does God let bad things happen? Is it some sort of test, or is it not even under His control? What sort of God would let something like a school shooting happen? Is there a God at all? Is there an Afterlife, and if so, what is it like? What does God think about people who abuse others claiming that God wanted things that way, or that their religion is the reason the abuse was necessary? The best part of the book is that Coupland does not answer any of these questions for you, or point you in a specific direction. It’s a book that makes you think.