The Anomaly

The Anomaly

The mind-bending thriller that has sold 1 million copies

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

WINNER OF THE 2020 PRIX GONCOURT. 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD. AN INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENON.


What do you do if your life is no longer your own?

When flight Air France 006 enters a terrifying storm, the plane - inexplicably - duplicates. For every passenger on board that day, there are now two - a double with the same mind, body and memories.

Just one thing sets them apart. One plane leaves the storm in March. The other doesn't land until June. For world leaders, the emergence of the June flight raises serious alarms. No science, faith, or protocol can explain this unprecedented event.

But for the passengers, a bigger question is at stake. What happens to them, now that their life is shared? What happens to those who land in June, when their March doubles make decisions that will change their lives forever?

And as the doubles prepare to meet, they have an extraordinary decision to make.

If there are two of them, and just one life - who gets to live it?

A runaway bestseller and winner of the 2020 Prix Goncourt, The Anomaly is a genre-defying, whip-smart novel that explores the very essence of who we are.

PRAISE FOR THE ANOMALY

'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!' Leïla Slimani, bestselling author of Lullaby

'It's a phenomenal read. So clever yet also so gripping' Harriet Tyce

'Wow, whan an exciting, original blend of theory and heart. It's astonishing' Janice Hallett

'The Anomaly is one and ten novels at once, brilliantly connecting every mystery of intimacy with the great mystery of humanity' Michel Bussi

'An extraodinary mix of existential thriller and speculative fiction...a thought-provoking, literary work' Publishers Weekly

'A witty, erudite novel...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 intelligent' Nicolas Mathieu, author of And Their Children After Them, winner of the 2018 Prix Goncourt

'An adventure, a page turner, a bestseller, but also an experimental, highly literary work' Le Figaro Magazine

'It's dizzying, exhilarating, brilliant!' Nicholas Carreau, Europe 1

'The novel is a tour de force' Toute La Culture

© Hervé le Tellier 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Reviews

  • 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!
    Leïla Slimani, author of Lullaby, winner of the 2016 Prix Goncourt

About the author

Hervé le Tellier

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.
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