i ripped through this once i got to an oddly touching part where the main character and his boss didn't solicit the services of two african prostitutes because i knew this would be something different from houellebecq. annihilation starts off with an act of terrorism but it's impossible to guess where it ends up...i loved seeing all the different narrative threads spin out even if many of the stories get dropped entirely in service of something much more important. the only thing i didn't like is that the dream sequences were really clunky (maybe a translation issue?) but they still contributed to the feeling of this being a "late-period" work. if this is really is his last book, it would be a perfect end.
excellent book for the dead of winter
Started this one before switching to another book for a book club, excited to get back to it. How would you compare it to his other stuff now that you've finished?
i'd say this is much more mellow than the books i've finished of his so far (submission and whatever) but in a good way! submission is one of my favorite books ever for pure shock value, but this is much more emotional and focused on familial relationships which was really interesting coming from houellebecq. let me know when you're done with it because it definitely stands apart from his work. also i'd probably put it just below submission in terms of what i've read. i only read parts of platform and the elementary particles because they were too depressing for me to finish at the time, but when i get back around to finishing them i'm sure i'll like this one more. i definitely want to read everything he's ever written now