TheAnomaly

Hervé Le Tellier is a writer, journalist, mathematician, food critic, and teacher. Since 1992, he has been a member of the prestigious and experimental Oulipo group of writers and mathematicians, who work to push against the boundaries of form and structure.

At the age of 64, with a decades-long career and several novels, essay and short story collections to his name, The Anomaly is his breakout hit. In 2020, it was awarded the prestigious Prix Goncourt, and has sold over a million copies.

Buckle your seatbelts, as Hervé le Tellier takes you on an extraordinary ride. You won't want to put this book down until the very last page!

Wow, what an exciting, original blend of theory and heart. It's astonishing. I can't describe it, except to say: read it, and prepare for a whole new perspective on your own existence - and plane travelA mind-bending, prize-winning speculative thrillerA good idea, elegantly executedA funny, smart thriller that surfs the Zeitgeist with typical elanA really intriguing novelThe Anomaly is one and ten novels at once, brilliantly connecting every mystery of intimacy with the great mystery of humanityIt's a phenomenal read. I loved how it tied together. So clever yet also so grippingThis high-concept SF thriller is enormous fun: a French prize winner spiced with Oulipian theory and literary in-jokes, riddling away at existential questions in the guise of a breakneck page-turner'Amusing, affecting, effervescentIt is intricate, ingenious, propulsive - but it is also affectingAn extraordinary mix of existential thriller and speculative fiction. Questions of philosophy, mathematics and astrophysics bend this novel far from the typical mold, and Le Tellier's characters must confront the deepest questions of existence. This thought-provoking literary work deserves a wide readershipA French literary phenomenon...The Anomaly captured a moment when the pandemic stopped the world and existence veered toward the virtual. It swerves between various genres - science fiction, a thriller, love stories, an introspective work - without being confined by any of themWritten with such page-turning conviction that readers are guaranteed a thoroughly enjoyable intellectual workoutThe buzz around this Goncourt prize-winner is richly deserved, and just when you think you've worked it out . . . well, you probably haven'tIntriguingA flight of imagination you'll be rolling over in your mind long after deplaningA striking thought experiment...Le Tellier delivers some sharp social comedy here. But behind the comedy are more profound psychological questions about individual freedom. The Anomaly is pricelessA witty, erudite novel, teeming and minutely detailed, a treat throughout, with-at its centre-that head-spinning conceit that will leave you deep in thought for a long time after reading the final page. It is rare to have so much fun with something so intelligentThe Anomaly is thought-provoking and philosophical yet thrilling too, with superbly drawn characters, a dynamic plot, and a fascinating question at its heart - what if the entire world as we know it is a lie?A speculative thriller from literary powerhouse Hervé le Tellier. Perfect for those who like their realities unstableMind-bendingHumorous, captivating, thoughtful - existentialism has never been so thrillingManifest meets Lost in The Anomaly...a puzzle box of a sci-fi thrillerAn extraordinary, fast-paced, disturbing novel, perfect for these extraordinary, fast-paced, disturbing times. Think Steven Spielberg meets Umberto Eco with a side order of black humour, generously sprinkled with genuine emotionA uniquely, gloriously, provocatively French contribution to the sci-fi thriller genre - it will keep you guessing, get your heart pounding, and make you feel and wonder and - above all - thinkIn The Anomaly, Hervé Le Tellier has delivered a volatile and compelling thriller that has you hurtling toward the mystery at the heart of the novel from page one. The Anomaly is a gripping and moving blend of Blake Crouch's Dark Matter, the television show Lost, with a bit of The Philadelphia Experiment thrown in for good measure. I couldn't put it down.Exhilarating, thought-provoking, funny, and devastating. The Anomaly is unlike anything else I've read this yearI was completely blown away by this genre-defying masterpiece. Part thriller, part philosophical rumination on what makes us human, and with a dash of theoretical physics; this is an absolute must-readThe Anomaly is a brilliant balancing act of a novel, a fantastic rush and ride that works on myriad levels, at various depths, and in a multitude of styles. It's a precise and erudite literary treat, a comedic sociopolitical-religious skewering of these contemporary times, a philosophical-scientific-mathematical dive into the puzzles of possibility, space, and time, and an ingenious thought experiment that lends itself easily to ad infinitum analysis and dissection. It's also entirely grounded in human nature. Le Tellier's pointillistic characters are, like all of us, buffeted by desires, seeking love, striving, aging, making good and bad decisions, choosing the right or wrong paths, believing they know and understand themselves, utterly trusting in free will. Highly intelligent, ironic without cheap cynicism, The Anomaly is an immensely fun novel, an immersive experience that leaves the reader analysing everything anewThe year has only just begun but I will be surprised if I read something as astonishing as The Anomaly in the next 12 monthsIt's dizzying, exhilarating, brilliant!An intoxicating mix of the magical and life's big questionsHervé le Tellier's new novel is an exquisite, insane surprise. Quite simply astoundingAn addictive page-turner, The Anomaly flirts with thriller and science fiction, and mirrors the best televisions series in its very effective orchestration of suspense. Filled with fascination existential and metaphysical questions, this is an effective, funny and discreetly melancholy novelA brilliant, extremely inventive book. Like an astounding screenplay for an American blockbuster, written by a Frenchman who is having fun with itHervé le Tellier has written an impossible novel. It's a thriller but also a fantasy. A choral novel, which is also surrealist. An adventure, a page turner, a bestseller, but also an experimental, highly literary workA delight. Intricate, ingenious, propulsive - but also affecting, with numerous moments that are terribly poignant along with its puzzles and winksHow would society respond to the inexplicable? This is the question the author tries, with intelligence, elegance and humour, to answer. Hervé le Tellier has written a frank and gripping novel with complex, moving characters. You won't be able to put it down!Effervescent playfulness . . . Hilariously deadpanThe novel is a tour de force which both dives into the personal lives of several characters and at the same time gives a group perspective on an international event which verges on science fiction. The taut rhythm of the investigation keeps the reader on tenterhooksThe situations are mad, but the questions they raise, far less so. Such is the profundity of this astonishing book: it makes light of itself, lending an air of fantasy to the fates of its characters, while Hervé le Tellier holds a mirror up before usA master of one-touch characterisation. Le Tellier's genius is in making the unimaginable feel authenticLe Tellier, throughout this flight, deposits on the tarmac his stunned reader, ready to applaudLe Tellier is a masterful writer and his staggering story verges on thriller and science fictionSomewhere between fable and science fiction, it's a fascinating novelThe novel weaves a surprising story out of several narrative threads which give Hervé le Tellier the opportunity to touch on as many literary genres as he does themes, in a biting and often funny critique of the start of the 21st centuryExcellent...at once zeitgeisty, intelligent, and entertainingFantastic...The Anomaly wears its name well: it's rare in France that a work combines the best of American TV series with an impeccable mastery of the French psychological novelDizzying, compellingMind-bending. Herve Le Tellier's emotional and intellectual rollercoaster is well worth the rideA delightfully confounding thriller . . . Le Tellier's prose is beautifully efficient and capable of quiet devastation

THE NO. 1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER. WINNER OF THE 2020 PRIX GONCOURT. 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD.

'Just when you think you've worked it out . . . well, you probably haven't' DAILY MAIL
'Mind-bending. Written with page-turning conviction' THE TIMES
'A mind-bending, prize-winning speculative thriller' GUARDIAN
'An intoxicating mix of the magical and life's big questions' FINANCIAL TIMES
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No one knows how it happened. But it'll change their lives forever . . .

During a terrifying storm, Air France flight 006 - inexplicably - duplicates.

For every passenger, there are now two: a double with the same mind, body and memories.

Only one thing sets them apart - while one plane lands in March, the other doesn't arrive until June.

Nothing can explain this unprecedented event. But for each duplicated passenger, an impossible moment of reckoning awaits.

If there are two of you, and just one life . . . who gets to live it?
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New York Times: Best Thriller of the Year
Publishers Weekly: Best Thriller of the Year
Lit Hub: Favourite Book of the Year
CrimeReads: Best International Crime Novel of the Year
PopSugar: Best Mystery/Thriller of the Month

LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD

Readers LOVE The Anomaly:

'I absolutely loved this thrilling, addictive book' 5* Reader Review

'This book spun my head. Fascinating, fantastic and thought provoking' 5* Reader Review

'I absolutely love this book. It's a one-of-a-kind story, with perfect pacing. I would highly recommend' 5* Reader Review

'An incredible read - intriguing and original. Keeps you fascinated until the very last page' 5* Reader Review

'A brilliant read . . . So cleverly written' 5* Reader Review