Annihilation

Michel Houellebecq's Annihilation is a thought-provoking novel that explores the lack of spirituality in the Western world and the fragility of human nature. It follows the story of Paul Raison, an advisor to the French Finance Minister, as he deals with the mysterious and unsettling cyberattacks that have hit France. The novel also explores the strained relationships between Paul and his family and his father's struggle with a stroke. Annihilation has been praised for its compassion and tenderness, as well as its exploration of new sides to Houellebecq's writing. It has been a #1 bestseller in France and Germany.

Format: Hardback
Length: 544 pages
Publication date: 19 September 2024
Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Michel Houellebecq's "Annihilation" is a profound meditation on human frailty and the lack of spirituality in the Western world. It has been praised by critics for its compassion and empathy, as well as its belief in the redemptive power of love. Set in a future France in economic decline and moral decay, the novel follows the story of Paul Raison, an advisor to the country's Finance Minister, as he becomes involved in a series of mysterious and unsettling cyberattacks. His wife Prudence is a Treasury official, and his father Édouard, now retired, has spent his career working for the DGSI, the French counter-terrorism agency. When Édouard has a stroke, his children have an opportunity to repair their strained relationships and free their father from the medical center where he is wasting away. "Annihilation" reveals new sides to Houellebecq's writing, adding compassion and tenderness to the emotions of rage and irony that have powered both him and his earlier works to international fame. It has been translated from the French by Shaun Whiteside and has been a #1 bestseller in France and Germany.

Weight: 738g
Dimension: 241 x 162 x 38 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781035026395