Michel Houellebecq's eighth novel begins slowly, with all the finery of a mystery fiction. In "
enormous parallelepipeds of glass and steel,
" Homeland Security experts scrutinize computer attacks. They are intrigued by a set of geometric figures and esoteric symbols that the writer has reproduced at the head of his book. The scene takes place in Paris at the end of 2026, but it could be anywhere in the world: the icy atmosphere is that of an American thriller. A politician is at the heart of the intrigue, he is Minister of the Economy and Finance, predestined to become President of the Republic. His first name directs the reader to the figure of Bruno Le Maire and his taste for "
the charms of the French-led economy.
"And"
a dirigisme (...) clearly assumed
"towards an improbable hybridization with Jean-Pierre Chevènement.
Paul, an official in the Budget Directorate, clearly serves as the author's spokesperson.
It is…
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