Our June selection is The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier, an international bestseller that tells the story of an Air France flight from Paris to New York that lands after passing through a terrifying storm. Later, the same Boeing 787 appears in the sky – headed in the same direction with the same crew, same passengers, and same damage from an identical storm. It’s an impossible scenario that combines sci-fi, fantasy, mystery and a touch of philosophy. The New York Times describes Le Tellier’s genre-bending novel as “part airplane thriller and part exploration of reality, fate and free will.”
The Anomaly was published at the peak of the pandemic, sold 1.1 million copies in France, and received the Goncourt Prize in French literature, awarded to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year.” Le Tellier said of his novel: “I am surprised by the book’s success given that it’s so experimental, bizarre and a little crazy…Perhaps reading it was a means of escape.”
“With its elegant mix of science fiction and metaphysical mystery, Le Tellier’s thriller is…a flight of imagination you’ll be rolling over in your mind long after deplaning.” —Washington Post
“Humorous, captivating, thoughtful—existentialism has never been so thrilling.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
It’s pretty easy to read in French, except I’m not to up on current slang and off-color language! I have an English copy from the library as well if I run out of time.
I lived in France for a year before starting college and at one time my French was very good. The last thing I read in French was actually also for the book club when we paired Camus’ The Stranger with The Meursault Investigation. A new translation of the Camus had recently been published and it was really interesting to read some of the discussion in reviews about the best way to translate its famous first sentence.
@VeryHappy, I agree with @jollymama. It’s a quick, entertaining read – almost, I would say, an “airplane read,” although you probably wouldn’t want to read it on an airplane. If you got your hands on a copy of the book only a few days from discussion, you could still do it.
By the way, anyone who enjoyed The Essex Serpent, our bookclub selection back in October 2017 - The Essex Serpent - October CC Book Club Selection might want to check out the Apple+ miniseries. We watched the first episode, and while I hate the music, I’m quite enjoying it otherwise.
I did a quick re-read of the book last night, to try to keep the characters straight. It’s definitely a unique book. Have to return it today—already renewed it once.
I read the book last month, when I was surprised to quickly get off the library wait list. (I handed it off to a friend after finishing it. She really liked it too.). With more than a month gap from reading til discussion, I’m pleased to see that Wikipedia has a list of the many various characters - The Anomaly (novel) - Wikipedia
The Seattle Times recommended nine summer reading books; this one made the cut! I went through it quickly but may need a slow re-read once all of you more literary experts start discussing the myriad of references I didn’t know.
Summer is page turner season, and books don’t get much page turnier than Hervé Le Tellier’s 2021 thriller “The Anomaly.” The less you know going in the better, but suffice it to say this propulsive genre-bending novel about a supernatural incident involving an international flight is the kind of addictive reading experience that will leave you pushing the book into the hands of friends and family, just so you’ll have someone who can discuss it with you.
If you got your hands on a copy of the book only a few days from discussion, you could still do it.