Nicolas Carreau 12:03 p.m., December 30, 2021
It will undoubtedly be the literary event of the beginning of the year 2022: the new and eighth novel by Michel Houellebecq comes out on January 7.
The French author among the most translated and the most sold in France and abroad offers us a new text, 750 pages of a novel, published by Flammarion and a title: "To annihilate".
Michel Houellebecq's book, entitled
Anéantir
, opens with a very Houellebecquian sentence: "Some Mondays at the very end of November, or at the beginning of December, especially when you are single, you have the feeling of being in the hallway of the death."
End of quote.
Another deadly dive into the depths of solitude, we say to ourselves.
But no.
Very quickly, we fall into a spy novel.
A political novel?
DGSI agents are intrigued by videos posted on the web by hackers.
In particular one where we see the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Juge - who looks strangely like Bruno Le Maire, moreover - being guillotined.
It's an editing.
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The minister takes care of more important matters - such as the 2027 presidential election in six months - with his advisor, Paul Raison.
He is the hero of the book.
He works a lot, his couple is in distress, they hardly ever meet.
And his father has just had a stroke, which will force Paul to find his family.
In
Annihilate
, we find the writer's grinding humor, even his cynicism at times, on the dereliction of the West.
But we also discover a peaceful Houellebecq.
A Houellebecq in search of the kindness of his characters.
"Love saves" is the message of the book.
Without doubt the most beautiful novel by Michel Houellebecq.