Atomised - Michel Houllebecq

[Monkeytrousers]

I found this fascinating - anyone else read it?

I haven't but I did read Platform; it was one of those books which though uncomfortable and disturbing to read, stays in your mind for ages and makes you think about things that you normally shy away from.

But I also read 'The Possibility of an Island' I found more formulaic and a less interesting read.

Would you recommend Atomised? (I had a friend who started but gave up saying it was "too much").

Platform and Atomised are both hugely enjoyable in a dark twisted way,
Harry Potter for grown-ups.

The Possibility of an Island was slightly convoluted but a decent read all in all.

The big question is:
Is he just a provocative so-and-so (like a real life troll) or
does he have something deeper to say about the world we live in?

yes, I would MB.

I also think he is something valid about the clash of individualism and collective society and the emptiness of desire.

He is provocative but I not as much as I'd been led to be expected - more natural history - from a very cynical perspective though.

His vision of the future was absurd I thought however - his idea of heaven maybe. Not someone I?d like to trapped in a lift with!