Hervé Le TellierAnmeldelser

Um livro vertiginoso, com um desenvolvimento inicial frenético, onde uma extensa lista de nomes e personagens é introduzida, o que pode desencorajar alguns leitores. Hervé Le Teller precisa de quase meio livro para preparar o leitor para clímax da história, sendo que, a partir deste momento, há uma mudança de registo, mais dramático.

Confesso que a segunda parte do livro deixou-me a sensação de que faltou alguma coisa. Sem querer desvendar qualquer aspecto do enredo do livro, esta sensação não se deve ao facto do final aberto - que na verdade, até é supreendente - mas admito que esperava um desenvolvimento mais robusto de algumas personagens. Esta sensação de "falta de sal" também não se deve à falta de explicação da anomalia, mas antes porque o autor passa quase que a enumerar alguns eventos despoletados pelo incidente do voo 006 da Air France, mas que parecem não ter (quase) consequência.

Este é um livro que pode deixar um misto de sensações no final da sua leitura e poderá mesmo desagradar alguns leitores. Não sendo um dos meus preferidos, foi, mesmo assim, uma leitura bastante interessante.

Völlig anders als erwartet. Mit den vielen losen Fäden, die sich dann irgendwann zusammenfinden, war ich ein bisschen an Stephen King erinnert, allerdings ohne den Gruseleffekt.
Wirklich virtuos...

Hmm. Starts out strong and intriguing but your interest gets lost a bit among too many characters. The characters are well-written, which may be the problem—just too much to juggle here for what should be a relatively simple story.

I'm not sure if the library employee who put this work in the "similar to 50 Shades of Gray" display just did so because, "Hey, sex", or if they were knowingly being a little subversive, placing a non-erotic work of eroticism coming out of the French intellectualist movement of Oulipo in amidst all the sexual rabble. The latter would be fun.

Anyway, it's an amusing enough little divertisement, each page a very brief lighthearted sketch of a different couple's sexual encounter, the persons involved coming out of a limited pool of characters so that when all the couplings are graphed out you produce a couple of geometric patterns.

Thus form is the main thing and point, as is the Oulipo wont, while the writing is casually amusing, though nothing terribly special. The best chuckle for me:

Sofia and Dennis.
The memory of a scene in the film The Postman Always Rings Twice, directed by Bob Rafelson, in which Frank (Jack Nicholson) takes Cora (Jessica Lange) on the kitchen table, is clearly stimulating Dennis while he sodomizes Sofia on just that same item of furniture. Sofia, for whom sodomy is exciting but not quite orgasmic, is rubbing her clitoris faster and faster. The bottle of olive oil is marked "Cold-Pressed Extra Virgin," but that's irrelevant.

It occurs to Dennis that if he were a praying mantis, his female would now turn round and devour his head. He shivers.

Brilliant mix of thriller and science fiction, engaging with a magic moment in which an Air France Boeing and its passengers, travelling from Paris to New York, get duplicated during a storm. The one Boeing lands in March, the duplicated one in June. The duplication raises all kinds of existential problems and questions, in particular for the passengers themselves, the security apparatus and the wider human community. This anomaly is dealt with in different ways. It is treated as a threat, a sign of God, an opportunity to mend ways, or as a sign of the end of time.

The way Le Tellier relates the story is by splitting the book in three parts. In part 1 we get to know various characters that were on the plane. In part 2, the second Air France plane re-appears and is guided to a Military airbase. Here the security forces and two Princeton computer geeks have to execute their own (ludicrous) protocol dealing with such eventualities. The crew and passengers are held in isolation and questioned. Meanwhile their doppelgangers are apprehended and ferried to the air base. In part 3, the various passengers and crew are allowed to engage with their alter egos and work out a new way of dealing with the aftermath of a shared identity. Those who want, can opt for a witness protection program and continue their lives as different persons.

So what struck me, raised my interest? Le Tellier has found an interesting prism, with the duplicating plane, for exploring some existential questions, neatly elaborated in personal cases. First, there is the gimmick of the hired assassin, who goes missing from the hangar (creating a fire, escaping, taking on a different identity), travels back to Paris and kills his alter ego (chopping up his body in acid, making him disappear). Problem fixed. Second, there is the response of the security apparatus (isolation of the June flight, implementation of a silly protocol dreamed up by a couple of nerd students, mobilization of Nobel Prize winners, presidential coordination with Xi Jinping and Macron), which Le Tellier uses to analyse the banality of power (both political and scientific). Third, is the response of society as a whole and religious pundits/fanatics – le Tellier shows how the security forces try to coax consensus out of all religious leaders, crafting a uniform message of harmony and peace. But that proves futile once the religious fanatics go to town on this unusual event: an opportunity to announce the end of times, or take action, such as the futile killing of a young actress and her alter ego after presenting their case in a famous late night talk show. Fourth, and probably most interesting, are the impact of dealing with 3 missing months of life, for a number of key personalities that have been introduced in part 1. What happens if your alter ego fell pregnant, changing the dynamic of a love relationship (well, the non pregnant alter ego decides to cut loose and change her identity, despite secretly hoping to regain her lover). What happens when an obscure writer produces a master piece and kills himself, only for his alter ego to return in public life and enjoy the newly gained fame (well the latter is exactly what happens, and moreover, he exhibits a totally care free view on life while attracting a new love life). What happens when a relationship that was dead in the water anyway, is viewed upon by the disappointed party three months on? (some kind of wisdom shines thru, but also a kind of infinite sadness and a knee-jerk response to warn his alter ego for what is coming and if at all possible to behave differently to save the affair). What happens when your daughter has been abused by her PTSS afflicted dad in the three months of your absence? What happens when a boy suddenly finds himself saddled with two envious moms? (well, he simply proposes a rational time-sharing system that his mom(s) could never have devised). What happens when a patient with fatal pancreatic cancer gets a second chance at saving his own life, through a new procedure? (well, this the saddest case – the man dies again and his brother, wife and kids have to undergo the same painful process twice…). It is in the individual cases that Le Tellier can table and discuss the big questions in life. Brilliant idea.

Sci Fi, fantasy? A very strange story of one flight that lands in two places three months apart and in two different locations. Both landings include the same people. We follow the investigation into how this anamoly could occur and what it means to the people involved. The people of both flights meet their ?other self.? We learn that this also happened to a Chinese flight but it is kept secret from the world. We follow half dozen passengers as they decide to how to live their lives with a double. The book ends with a third plane with the same passengers being spotted. This plane, however, is destroyed in air by the government. How does that affect the people of the other two landings? A mystery to ponder. Kirkus: A mystifying phenomenon sends shock waves through the world of an alternate 2021.The opening chapter presents a detailed portrait of a professional assassin called Blake, a man described as ?extremely meticulous, cautious, and imaginative.? The same adjectives could be applied to author Le Tellier: Trained as a mathematician and a scientific journalist, he uses these first pages to prime the reader for his methodically crafted story. The action then abruptly jumps to Victor Miesel, a disillusioned author and translator who becomes ?mired in a horrible impression of unreality? after a turbulent flight. Over the following weeks, Miesel feverishly writes a new book called The anomaly, sends it to his editor, and kills himself. Then, snap, a new chapter begins, introducing a film editor named Lucie, who, along with every subsequently introduced character (eleven, altogether), is inexplicably requisitioned by the authorities.The connection between these people soon becomes clear: They were all passengers on the same turbulent flight. What exactly happened on this airplane? Le Tellier withholds the details for long enough that revealing the mystery here would spoil the entrancing quality of the book. Hunter?s brilliant translation from the French�her fifth collaboration with Le Tellier¥transforms Le Tellier?s distinct French voice into a distinct English one. More importantly, Hunter captures the playful exhilaration with which Le Tellier marries his audacious plot to a deep concern for existentialist philosophy. Excerpts from Miesel?s The anomaly appear in epigraphs for each new section, including: ?There is something admirable that always surpasses knowledge, intelligence, and even genius, and that is incomprehension.?Humorous, captivating, thoughtful¥existentialism has never been so thrilling.

(2021) SF? Mystery? Hard to tell, but I loved it. This is one weird book about a collection of people that seem to have nothing in common except for a Air France flight they were on in March that encounters turbulence but land safely. Then in June the same plane and passengers lands again after the turbulence. Duplicates of the plane and passengers yet not in subtle ways. How do the originals and duplicates cope? Ends with the US shooting down a 3rd Air France flight with the same triplicates. And then it ends or does it?KIRKUS: A mystifying phenomenon sends shock waves through the world of an alternate 2021.The opening chapter presents a detailed portrait of a professional assassin called Blake, a man described as ?extremely meticulous, cautious, and imaginative.? The same adjectives could be applied to author Le Tellier: Trained as a mathematician and a scientific journalist, he uses these first pages to prime the reader for his methodically crafted story. The action then abruptly jumps to Victor Miesel, a disillusioned author and translator who becomes ?mired in a horrible impression of unreality? after a turbulent flight. Over the following weeks, Miesel feverishly writes a new book called The anomaly, sends it to his editor, and kills himself. Then, snap, a new chapter begins, introducing a film editor named Lucie, who, along with every subsequently introduced character (eleven, altogether), is inexplicably requisitioned by the authorities.The connection between these people soon becomes clear: They were all passengers on the same turbulent flight. What exactly happened on this airplane? Le Tellier withholds the details for long enough that revealing the mystery here would spoil the entrancing quality of the book. Hunter's brilliant translation from the French�her fifth collaboration with Le Tellier¥transforms Le Tellier's distinct French voice into a distinct English one. More importantly, Hunter captures the playful exhilaration with which Le Tellier marries his audacious plot to a deep concern for existentialist philosophy. Excerpts from Miesel's The anomaly appear in epigraphs for each new section, including: ?There is something admirable that always surpasses knowledge, intelligence, and even genius, and that is incomprehension.?Humorous, captivating, thoughtful¥existentialism has never been so thrilling.Pub Date: Nov. 23, 2021ISBN: 978-1-63542-169-9Page Count: 336Publisher: Other Press

A remarkable fiction, provocative on so many levels. Disentangling the stories, I fear, could take the rest of my life, such that I would never have enough peace of mind to read another book.

It so much reminds me of Kafka’s Metamorphosis, where a man wakes up one the morning only to discover, to his dismay, that overnight he has become a cockroach.

I don’t know how else to describe it, but the universe twists in upon itself in this story, giving the characters untenable choices to continue living, in most cases, but not all.

The key conceit in this story is the invention of exact duplicates of yourself. Can you imagine how you would feel to discover there was an exact replica of yourself running around? I know I would be totally creeped out. There are just some memories rolling around in my mind I wouldn’t want anybody — even my twin — knowing.

The beginning chapters move quickly from one character to the other over the course of months: a man starts his profession as a hitman; an author and translator writes a book, then kills himself for reasons unknown; an architect and his girlfriend break up; and more. As time slowly moves on, however, we realize that all of them have something in common. They were on the same flight, that hit turbulence, and landed in New York in March. But three months later, another plane with the same 200+ passengers emerges from the clouds.

A fascinating "what if" that explores the nature of reality, individuality and second chances. Exactly what caused the "anomaly" becomes less important than what each character decides to do with it. Some manage to get along with their doppelgangers, some most definitely do not. Some have to live with a similar set of circumstances all over again, while others can learn from the first person's mistakes and make other choices. And the ending... I will be pondering this one for some time, and may have to reread it to feel like I've fully comprehended it. A lot of characters and moving pieces without a lot of answers, this is a good recommendation for fans of LOST and Annihilation.½

over-engineered philosophical divertissement

Surprenant et amusant, avec des effets stylistiques variés.

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-anomaly-by-herve-le-tellier/

This is a really good idea turned into a really good novel: an incoming aircraft turns out to be an exact duplicate of one that has already landed, months previously, and we get to explore the problem of dealing with people who are exactly the same but several months apart in experience, with a smattering of We Are Property. Le Tellier is a leading exponent of the Oulipo school and on this basis I will look for more from that source.

Ideana jännä, mutta ajatus että tällainen kaksoisolento/ aikahyppy tapahtuessaan aiheuttaisi näin vähän säpinää ja että siihen oltaisiin valmistauduttu, oli älytöntä.

Sciencefiction zoals ik ze fijn vind omdat ze ook filosofisch is.

I am not sure if the original, the translation, or the narration made the story boring, but something did, and there was actually so many plot points that should have made it exciting.

Was passiert, wenn es einen plötzlich doppelt gibt? Am Beispiel von 11 Flugreisenden spielt der Autor das Szenario durch. Teilweise ist es recht lustig, z.B. wenn Donald Trump auftaucht. So richtig hat mich das Buch nicht gepackt, aber man konnte es schon lesen.½

An entertaining literary SF novel that plays the usual meta-fictional games but not at the cost of the SFnal ideas, plot lines, or characterizations. The premise - -somewhat reminiscent of the TV series Manifest -- is that a plane from Paris to New York passes through unexpected turbulence and, as a result, two copies land, three months apart. The first section of the book introduces the characters. This may be the most frustrating section to read, as each chapter introduces a new character, who was on the flight that arrived first, with few connections made between any of these threads. The only slight forward motion is the gradual realization that something happened as FBI agents start appearing at the ends of some chapters. The middle section is very different in tone. It is mostly a satire of think tanks, as various hypotheses are proposed and attempts are made to explain them to a not very bright US President. The third section follows what happens to each of the characters who now find they have are duplicates. I was reminded here of the old TV series "The Millionaire" where each week explored what might happen when someone receives a million dollars free and clear.

The main metafictional element is an old trope: a best seller named The Anomaly, written by one of the passengers in the three months between the two plane landings. While clearly not the same story, various critiques of the book, such as introducing a dozen character threads, clearly could be applied to the novel itself.

Recommended.

Una novela ingeniosa y encantadora de Hervé Le Tellier que explora la naturaleza del amor a partir de los cuarenta al más puro estilo de Woody Allen.
Anna y Louise podrían ser hermanas, pero no se conocen. Las dos están casadas, son madres y son razonablemente felices en sus relaciones de pareja. Casi el mismo día, Anna se cruza con un escritor, Yves, y Louise conoce a Thomas. Sus vidas van a verse completamente alteradas por la deliciosa e inconveniente llegada del amor. Con 40 años todavía es posible caer rendido al amor y reescribir el propio destino, pero ¿a qué precio? Provocadora, sofisticada y, por encima de todo, divertida y entretenida, No hablemos más de amor explora la euforia del deseo a través de las trayectorias de sus personajes.

Think some plot points should have been wrapped up

Al principio de este libro se prensentan a muchos personaes.
Aunque no pasa nada, simplemente se nos presenta cada uno, es la parte que mas me gusta, se tiene que tener mucha habilidad para describir tantos personajes de forma unica.

Despues esta el evento del libro, que bueno no esta mal.
Pero el final es como la gente reacciona a esto y me esperaba mas. Tarde 6 dias en leer el primer 80% y 3 semanas el ultimo 20% porque me estaba arrastrando intentando acabarlo.

A fascinating and entertaining novel that explores themes of identity, free will, and the nature of reality.

“Maybe life begins the moment we know we don't have one.”

After a frightening plane journey through a freak storm, the passengers of Air France flight 006 land in JFK shaken from the experience but in one piece. Three months later the exact same plane exits the storm. Piloting it is the same captain. Onboard are the same passengers.

One plane went into the storm but two came out.

I saw the blurb for this books a few months ago it really intrigued me. I expected a story of science fiction and improbability, but Le Tellier's writing is engaging and thought-provoking. The first 100 pages deal with the passengers on the first plane as they go about their normal lives. it feels like a collection of character studies. The lawyer dealing with a difficult client, the hitman with the double life, the rapper hiding his own secrets. Only when the second plane emerges from the storm does the promised story really kick off.

Along with the practicalities of how the American government deals with the situation, Le Tellier delves into philosophical questions about the fabric of reality and the impact of choice on the human experience. What does the emergence of the second plane mean? Are the passengers even human and how will the world deal with the news. But it’s not all heavy handed, the characterisation of the American president along with the background story to Protocol 42 had me smirking.

The book's ending may leave some readers feeling uncertain or perplexed, for me a particular interview came across a bit over the top, but if you like science fiction with a side of philosophy this is an interesting read on the nature of life.

To me, the mark of a good Sci-fi story is one that gets you thinking. On the surface, it's a fairly straightforward day-in-the-life of a set of, seemingly, random people. You get to know them and they all seem perfectly normal in a modern, damaged sense of the word and world.
Then a big event happens and things get weird from there.
The second half of the book is actually the point where I began to lose a little interest. Much of the interaction seemed a contrived. Many of the confrontations at this point seemed a little too calm. I don't know if I would be able to keep my brain from exploding if placed in a similar situation. Much of the interactions were a little too calm, a bit to philosophical. Which in and of itself, isn't a bad thing, it just suspended my disbelief for a while.
Then the end brought me back in, and I put the book down and literally went 'Huhh' (in the sense of pondering the meaning of the ending, not the 'I don't understand that at all' sense).
I made my wife move it up her to be read list, so we can discuss.

Fun premise with exciting action at the halfway mark, but I found the characters to be thin stereotypes and their interactions less than compelling.

The potential for this book was real, but I can't say I enjoyed it. It started off well as sort of an ensemble cast. I was curious about the stories of the people Le Tellier introduces and what was going to happen to these people. Unfortunately, once you meet all these characters, the book takes a sci fi turn, and it didn't work for me at all. Even if you could get your mind around the premise from a physics standpoint, the storytelling just dropped off a cliff. It's bad when the setup for the story is significantly better than the pinnacle of the plot.

The latter half was like a B movie or a C-Stephen King novel. The characters became flat and uninteresting. And for reasons I can't reveal for fear of spoiling the book, the group of characters doubles in size, and it turns into a big muddled mess.

There was one piece of cleverness toward the end in regard to the author of "the anomaly", but like one little twisty reward was not enough payoff for me to feel satisfied, or even intrigued.

Honestly, there are Star Trek episodes that are a lot better than this with more life lessons.