2023/034: The Anomaly — Hervé Le Tellier (translated by Adriana Hunter)

2023/034: The Anomaly — Hervé Le Tellier (translated by Adriana Hunter)

‘We’ll give you a list of scientists in thirty minutes,’ Tina Brewster-Wang adds. ‘Two or three philosophers as well.’
‘Really? Why?’ Silveria asks.
‘Why should scientists always be the only people woken in the night?’ [loc. 1836]

I bought this expecting ... well, an airport thriller, I suppose: a solidly-plotted novel with an exciting plot, an upbeat ending, a large cast and adequate prose. This is not what I got. The Anomaly's prose, albeit translated from the French, is excellent (and has some stylistic flourishes that are familiar from my days of proofreading French non-fiction); the cast is indeed large, but each character has a distinct voice and a unique plot arc; and the plot is solid but unpredictable. ( Read more... )