Written 20-2-2023
I really enjoyed the format of this book. It takes place in a near future setting which, at this point, it’s actually set in the past, 2022, but, written in 2015, it’s story of european unrest manifested as a regime change still remains relevant. There are a few primary themes here: (1) immigration, both intellectual and traditional, (2) secular society and its relationship to the religious, (3) and the individual in a society like this. This is the first Houellebecq book I’ve read and his style comes across to me as somewhere in between a sleazy sci-fi author and Musil. There are frequent scenes of degeneracy and vividly listed sexual actions, but all of this is proclaimed from the alienated mind of a modern man, that is to say a white French intellectual man living in modern Paris.
The central piece of the book is this regime change where Islamic politicians take power in the government through dubious political stratagem. This serves as a way to discuss how Europe's currently secular politics rub up against political movements which, although they might be just as cynical, are driven by the religious engine of islam. It’s a future which we can assume is already happening and has always happened, but is discussed here as rearing its head in a real and violent way. Francois, the protagonist, is a typical unmarried agnostic who finds himself caught up in this. As a character he is primarily apathetic to these changes, but his life is one in which he lacks meaning. His girlfriend leaves him, his parents die, and his career ends, all of which doesn’t really upset him as much as it might seem on paper, but by halfway into the novel he is contemplating taking his own life. In many ways he represents the prototypical case study individual whose life is at the mercy of the state. His lack of strong convictions and his hedonistic desires are all appealed to by islam. In this Houellebecq highlights why he thinks Europe has this weakness and for him it all lies in the lack of religious center. This is probably the most interesting argument the book has to offer, the key piece of which is that neither the protagonist or the author are convinced or very interested in the ideological components of any of these movements. The real concern or spotlight is on a sort of fundamental physical attraction that exists between these ideas. Darwinism is, I think, the key here. Christianity, although beautiful and even irrefutable, has left us, after being the backbone for 1000+ years, with a society that has atomized. A new social glue is needed and, because all the elements have managed to bring themselves together in such a way, islam is the choice (not the natural or best, but the only choice).
Houellebecq writes as a sort of speculative Thucydides, giving a history of the future which leaves out no gruesome details. In this sense, I don’t know if I disagree with the criticism that Houellebecq is a sort of nihilist, but if he is, he’s of the best variety. The book’s events live in stark contrast to the individual who is alienated and degenerates in a sort of mundane way, which would almost be boring if it wasn’t so terrifying.