The Anomaly: A Novel by Hervé Le Tellier (PDF)

Description

A New York Times bestseller and a “Best Thriller of the Year”Winner of the Goncourt Prize and now an international phenomenon, this dizzying, whip-smart novel blends crime, fantasy, sci-fi, and thriller as it plumbs the mysteries surrounding a Paris-New York flight.Who would we be if we had made different choices? Told that secret, left that relationship, written that book? We all wonder—the passengers of Air France 006 will find out. In their own way, they were all living double lives when they boarded the plane: Blake, a respectable family man who works as a contract killer. Slimboy, a Nigerian pop star who uses his womanizing image to hide that he’s gay. Joanna, a Black American lawyer pressured to play the good old boys’ game to succeed with her Big Pharma client. Victor Miesel, a critically acclaimed yet largely obscure writer suddenly on the precipice of global fame. About to start their descent to JFK, they hit a shockingly violent patch of turbulence, emerging on the other side to a reality both perfectly familiar and utterly strange. As it charts the fallout of this logic-defying event, The Anomaly takes us on a journey from Lagos and Mumbai to the White House and a top-secret hangar. In Hervé Le Tellier’s most ambitious work yet, high literature follows the lead of a bingeable Netflix series, drawing on the best of genre fiction from “chick lit” to mystery, while also playfully critiquing their hallmarks. An ingenious, timely variation on the doppelgänger theme, it taps into the parts of ourselves that elude us most.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I came upon this book in a rather roundabout way. It was mentioned in a recent feature of the NT Times and further recommended by several commenting on the original post. I downloaded the sample and was immediately hooked. The beginning chapters introduce us to a number of individuals each of whom has an intriguing back story. How they are connected we don’t initially know, but many chapters end with an unidentified government official showing up at their door.. The book is a translation from the French and has that special cadence a translation often adds to the original text. In a delicious twist, one of the main characters is a French author, himself a translator who ultimately writes a novel titled The Anomaly. The stage is set for a most unusual story combining fiction and reality, and as we get deeper into the plot, the reader questions their own view of what is real.Their is nothing straightforward about the book. Although at first it seemed to strongly mirror the sci fi television series Manifest, it veered into social commentary, religion and philosophy. Some reviewers loved the ending, some felt it redeemed a so-so story, and others absolutely hated the end. My personal opinion is that it added an unexpected twist that will keep you thinking of the story long after you reached the last page.

⭐This book has an unusual plot line, and a spectacularly unique ending, which is why I gave it four stars instead of 3. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t read it. It is a little confusing at first as the author introduces so many different characters and it takes a bit to put it all together as a reader. That is not a negative, it certainly makes the reader keep track of what’s been read. However, I was really, really put off and disappointed when at a climactic point in the book, it is Christian fanatics who perpetrate violence. Heaven forbid we use a Muslim, a Jew, or an atheist for such acts? Oh no, let’s blame it on those Christians, since that way the author can still win literary awards ( since everyone knows it’s OK to accuse a Christian of something despicable in today’s world!) From there it went downhill for me. The author wraps up any loose ends and the ending couldn’t be more surprising.

⭐This was picked as one of our readings for a book club. When I heard about it all I was told was it’s a mystery about people aboard a plane. That ends up being true… but in a much different way than I expected. Overall, I liked the book. The character development was good and I found myself invested in what would happen to each of the main characters. The ending threw me though. I guess I was hoping for some sort of resolution or explanation and it just provide none that I found satisfactory. I’d give it 4.5 stars, but Amazon doesn’t do half stars…

⭐One of my absolute favorite books of the past few years, “The Anomaly” is a beautifully written novel with an unlikely, fantastical premise that somehow seems utterly real and reasonable. Most reviews will give this premise away, but I’d rather not, as it unfolds slowly within the story.A note: while translated from the French, the book takes place mostly in the United States, and should be easy reading for any nationality.Le Tellier gives us the very personal stories of several characters, including French architect André and his younger girlfriend Lucie; Nigerian-British pop star Slimboy; professional assassin Blake; intensely complicated writer Victor; the Kleffman family, scarred by the father’s Afghanistan and Iraq experiences; a pair of brilliant Princeton mathematicians; and more – yet it all hangs together. One piece of le Tellier’s mastery is that most stories that jump each chapter from character to character are bewildering – in The Anomaly, each voice really is unique (well…more on that when you read it!) and the plot lines actually make sense.This has mostly been called a thriller, and it is, and it’s very *fun* to read, but the mysteries and the “omg, what will happen?!” suspense are really in the end secondary to the human tales and philosophical undertones. Most of the characters share a singular, and beyond unnerving, experience, but their reactions to that experience, and the consequences, are very different. The writing is beautiful (I’d love to read it in French), and the overall tone (despite very, very dark and heart-rending things that happen….as they do across so many lives) is hopeful and even joyful.If I have any quibble with this novel, I am still a tiny bit confused by the ending (it turns out to be more difficult on Kindle….) – but I don’t think it would be a Goncourt Prize-winning French novel if it didn’t leave the reader with questions! Also, fans of the forty-fifth president of the United States will not appreciate le Tellier’s perspective on him (and even non-fans might find the character unnecessary…I did, and wish the character were not so central). Still, again, I loved this book.

⭐Book starts out strong and gets progressively less interesting, especially the ending. Seems like rather than commit to an explanation of the story’s events, the writer just decided to make the reader figure it out for himself.

⭐I am getting frustrated with the popularization of the idea that we live in a Matrix beyond our control. The book buys into this sophomoric thinking and pushes it to the limit in one direction. The same plane lands twice a few months apart. Now what’s going to happen?It is a Philip K Dickian approach that leaves everything the same in the world we know, but the author makes one change and follows his imagination about what might happen. When I was a sophomore in college we would sit around, get stoned, and speculate about “reality.” After awhile one grows up and decides to take life by the horns and ride it to the end. Do we really need another book about living in a predetermined world? Whatever, it is a relevant read when confined during a pandemic, but who would believe a world in 2021 without masks?

⭐While I was reading this version, my wife was reading the book in French, so we were able to discuss the quality of the translation which we found excellent. The story is original (no spoilers here – this is not a proper book review) and contains an element of fantasy which allows the author to explore some original “what if” ideas. There are multiple characters, well realised, who each have to react to the unique situation created by the author. There is a lot of well-researched detail which makes the narrative really interesting. The book needs close attention. I really liked it.

⭐The Anomaly is tremendous fun. It doesn’t reach the heights if the greatest science fiction, but it is original, entertaining and enjoyable while it lasts.It starts with chapters dedicated to a series of characters with nothing in common except they experienced turbulence while on a transatlantic flight. They include a ruthless hitman who lives a double life as the owner of a vegetarian catering business, a troubled author, a hot shot lawyer working for a questionable business, a disturbed veteran of overseas wars, a gay rapper, a film editor in a decaying relationship with an older architect, a terminally ill pilot. We are also introduced to two geeky mathematicians, Adrian and Meredith, circling around each other on the edge of a relationship.Author Hervé le Tellier has fun while setting up his characters, while also allowing some more serious and darker currents to flow. He uses the troubled author to show the ridiculous pretentious side of the French literary establishment. While geeky mathematicians might seem a relatively easy target, treats them with affection, and, indeed, Adrian and Meredith’s first reactions to each other are an absolute delight. I also have to say, I never though I’d care so much about the fate of a pet frog. On the dark side, there is the cold blooded assassin, questions about corporate morality, homophobia in the world of hip hop, and a disturbing section about child abuse.All of the stories are brought together in the central concept of the book (pre-publicised in the blurb, so no spoilers here), when a plane carrying the characters (excluding our mathematicians) flies out of a storm on its way to land in the US. The problem is that the same plane, with the same crew and passengers landed 106 days previously and all on board have since carried on living their lives for three months.The rest of the book is then concerned with the questions of what the authorities will do to deal with the situation, how the individuals will react to meeting themselves, and what caused the anomaly in the first place. The authorities range from a statesmen like Macron, to an unnamed but obviously second term Trump, who is portrayed as an idiot out of his depth rather than a malicious nationalist, and a predictably secretive Chinese government.The greatest weight is given to the individual stories which explore a range of responses, how does a secretive killer react to having himself around? How do those in relationships deal with the inevitable jealousy? How do the extra three months of those on the original plane alter the situation? Can mistakes be corrected with the extra knowledge?In terms of the wider picture, three possible explanations for the duplication of the plane are explored, although the “true one” is quickly evident. It is here that I had my one major quibble with the book. Le Tellier’s choice to concentrate mainly on the individual tales left me feeling slightly dissatisfied. Not fully exploring the wider implications (even though the explanation is fundamental to the denouement) leaves the book, to my mind, with a bit of an unfulfilling vacuum. Also while I am at it, I didn’t really see the point of the child abuse storyline, there is no depth to it, which makes it seem rather exploitative.However, overall, if one accepts Le Tellier’s choices and takes the Anomaly for what it is, a flashy, fast paced thriller based on a highly original premise, it certainly delivers. Coming soon to a cinema near you (I would expect).

⭐It took ages to establish the characters, too long, and then there was the incident. By this point you could see there werent enough pages left to do the job. And indeed the ending was so rushed it felt wrong.Overall it was disappointing. Very overhyped…. I dunno what the editors were thinking…. its clear the writer was thinking time to wrap up. it reads like he lost interest!

⭐Hands up if you thought this was a thriller and ended up with your brain twisted up like a pretzel? Firstly, I’d like to say that Adriana Hunter’s translation is exemplary. This cannot have been an easy text to work with. Herve Le Tellier is clearly a highly intelligent dude who has done extensive research. I highlighted many quotes and passages for further reflection and felt that this was certainly a fine work of literary fiction. A great deal of the book is spent exploring the characters. Each chapter is almost like a little short story within itself. The characters’ backgrounds are extremely diverse, which makes for an intriguing read. I don’t wish to give any spoilers but suffice it to say, the scientific stuff slowed down the narrative considerably and left me feeling like a thicko. If you understand it, then I imagine it’s all very exciting. I loved the clear parallels with a former President. I did enjoy the book but it absolutely was not what I was expecting and I left it having more questions than answers. Maybe that’s the point. I think ‘The Anomaly’ would make a good book club choice due to the potential for some riveting discussion. And if someone could explain the final page to me, that would be great!

⭐I don’t always review every book that I read as i read so many, but I felt compelled to write a review of this book as it is so utterly brilliant. I am in awe of the talent of this author, the whole concept of the storyline provides food for thought. A plane along with all its passengers somehow duplicates itself during a severe storm and is then forced to land at an air base. We are introduced to some of the passengers which includes a writer, a singer, an actress, a contract killer and an architect. This book has everything, romance, murder, gory details and humour, there are some passages in the storyline where I had to ‘look up’ the meaning of a particular phrase as I had no idea what they were referring to, so in fact this book proved to be a bit of an educational experience too. The very last line at the end of the book also left me perplexed, but upon reading about the author further I learnt that he had left the ending like this for the reader to interpret for themselves. For me this did not diminish from the great ending to the story and I was left pondering about the story for a long time after finishing this book. This book was originally written in French and has been translated into English.

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