Hey Nostradamus! By Douglas Coupland

Published by Bloomsbury, New York and London, 2003

Reviewed by Sofia Burgess, Leesburg Branch Library

Douglas Coupland’s eighth novel revolves around a Columbine-style high school massacre by which the characters of the book are forever impacted. However, Coupland chose not to exploit the grief and loss that occurred, but rather to focus on how it affected the characters lives spiritually. The book spans fifteen years after the shootings and includes the voices of four characters: Cheryl who was killed, her teenage husband Jason who held her as she died, Heather the girlfriend he has after the massacre, and Reg, Jason’s devout but misguided father.

Kind, gentle and naïve Cheryl questions God’s presence after the shooting and her faith is shaken by her hatred for the gunmen. Her teenage husband Jason has his life completely upended as he is accused of being the mastermind behind the massacre. For years afterward he is reeling from the impact of the loss and isolation that he endured. Heather comes into his life and is a welcome reprieve to the self-doubt that Jason deals with on a daily basis. She manages to get Jason to talk and slowly, to move on with his emotional life. Reg, Jason’s father, has spent his life preaching at home about Salvation and God’s Will. His religious zealousness manages to divide his family and completely ostracize him from his co-workers. In the end he realizes that his intense religious scrutiny of those around him served no purpose. Reg acknowledges his mistake of presuming to understand what is necessary for Salvation and he realizes that no one can ever be “perfect” and God-seeking at all times.

The book explores the depths of faith, from over-zealousness to non-belief and asks meaningful questions. In the wake of a senseless high school shooting – Where is God? How can He allow something so thoroughly tragic to happen? The spirituality of these four characters is impacted and their faith is transformed as a result. It is through the honesty and hurt of these characters that we are able to understand the strength of their souls.