Annihilation
Annihilation by Michel Houellebecq, published by Pan Macmillan on September 19, 2024, is a thought-provoking exploration of contemporary issues set in 2027 France, where the nation grapples with economic decline and moral decay. As a presidential campaign unfolds, the country faces a series of sophisticated cyberattacks that challenge the capabilities of its counter-terrorism agency. The narrative centers on Paul Raison, an advisor to the Finance Minister, and his family as they navigate personal and political turmoil amid the backdrop of national crisis.
Readers will find a blend of fiction, thriller, and political intrigue as the story delves into themes of espionage and the complexities of familial relationships. The characters, including Paul and his father Édouard, who has a history with the DGSI, confront their pasts while dealing with the pressing issues of their time. This edition, comprising 544 pages and presented in English, offers a unique perspective on human frailty and the search for connection in a disintegrating society.
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A Daily Express Best Book of the Year
‘An extended meditation on human frailty and the lack of spirituality in the Western world . . . Houellebecq displays compassion and empathy, and a belief in the redemptive power of love.’ – New Statesman
‘The most important novelist to have been publishing in all of Europe over the past three decades’ – The Sunday Times
It is 2027. France is in a state of economic decline and moral decay.
As the country plunges into a closely-fought presidential campaign, the French state falls victim to a series of mysterious and unsettling cyberattacks. The sophisticated nature of the attacks leaves the best computer scientists at the DGSI – the French counter-terrorism agency – scrambling for answers.
An advisor to the country’s Finance Minister, Paul Raison is close to the heart of government. His wife Prudence is a Treasury official, while his father Édouard, now retired, has spent his career working for the DGSI. When Édouard has a stroke, his children have an opportunity to repair their strained relationships, as they determine to free their father from the medical centre where he is wasting away.
Michel Houellebecq’s Annihilation reveals new sides to his writing, adding compassion and tenderness to the emotions of rage and irony that have powered both him and his earlier works to international fame.
‘We have no one to match Houellebecq.’ – The Daily Telegraph
Translated from the French by Shaun Whiteside
Annihilation was a #1 Livres Hebdo bestseller in France w/c 10/01/2022, and a #1 Spiegel bestseller in Germany w/c 24/01/2022
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