The Anomaly: The Mind-Twisting Thriller with Over a Million Copies Sold - A Must-Read for Fans of SEVERANCE

Amazing book, would give it 10/10 very thought provoking story.

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!

The beginning was good. Had me hooked. The second part was confusing. Far too many characters. sub stories within the story. If you read in one sitting, and you have good memory you might enjoy it more, I read it in dribs and drabs and the characters names all got jumbled in my head. The ending was disappointing. Too many loose ends. Perhaps if I read it again, I might get it. However, on a positive, It would make a very good film.

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.

Whilst readable and thought-provoking, very far from hardcore sci-fi. The writing style is variable, between 'obsessive, introspective French relationships' to 'thriller-like' passages. From my perspective, very light on 'why' and ultimately failed to resolve anything, with a 'make up your own explanation' of an ending. I don't feel inclined to seek out other works by the same author.

I wouldn't have bought this but a friend recommended it highly. In the end I was very disappointed and actually annoyed. The fundamental problem is that the book is a mash-up of genres, sci-fi, thriller and lit fic relationship novel. If you are strongly interested in only one of these the other content will leave you dissatisfied at best. I was interested in the relationships between the characters and it is here that the writing is at its best. However there are too many characters and only a tenous connection between them, that of being involved in the plane incident and its bizarre consequences. The characters are introduced at the beginning and then put to one side for a big chunk of the book while the official government response to the situation is cranked up. I found it hard to remember who they were and was glad of the Kindle search function to remind me - not so easy with a print book. I did find the the characters' very different adaptations to the situation interesting and thoughtful but the actual premise and the so called philosophising about it not so much. Too much suspension of disbelief required for me. I forced myself through the last hundred pages, hoping for a decent conclusion, the one thing the book doesn't offer. The other thing with a Kindle is you can't really throw it on the ground in frustration when you finally reach the end.

Science fiction/fantasy isn’t my usual genre, but the synopsis for this book sounded intriguing. However, what might have been a good story became somewhat bogged down with character development, and too many of them, rather than developing the plot. In short, a plane heading for New York turns out to be an exact duplicate of one that landed there three months earlier, together with all of its 243 passengers. The possibilities for a good story are endless, but this didn’t really get off the mark apart from, perhaps, the middle third. I ended up skim reading the last third. There seemed to me to be a chunk of the story missing. The two sets of passengers were introduced to each other, but no part of the story detailed any discussions about how or why this should happen. It was taken as a fait accomplis that they would. And, it turned out it wasn’t the first time such an event had happened - China experienced the same scenario, but that wasn’t developed in any way either. Overall, a good concept, but a disappointing execution.

Great story with well described characters excellent perspective on reality and what it means to be human. Recommend it for anyone wanting a great read!

What if the Greet philosophers where richt and everything is relative, we are relayive, time is relative... or aren’t they?

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.

This was a slow burn thriller with quite an odd setup and with few questions answered, but oddly satisfying in the end anyway. If you do read it, read until the end!

This is a novel which is based on the "wormhole" or on "string theory". This's dealt with suicide and resurrection in a sense like Christ. Therefore, you may not necessarily perhaps read it easily. Besides, you may think that "Universe physics" or "Evolution theory" could find a solution for this novel's problem. However, I believe Buddhist's thinking way of " nirvana", that is, the breaking of the cycle of birth and death. will be useful for reading it. I've much enjoyed this novel. I really hope that many people will read this novel, too. Because this will help us how to live a life when you would suddenly face unexpected, unimaginable problems living in the future. This novel is one of the superb philosophical novels, too.