The Anomaly

The novel unfolds around a mind-bending speculative event that merges psychological thriller elements with philosophical questioning. In June 2021, Air France flight 006 from Paris to New York encounters a severe storm before landing. However, intelligence authorities soon realize that the exact same plane, carrying the identical 243 passengers and crew, had already landed three months earlier in March 2021. Drawing from his background in the experimental Oulipo literary movement, Le Tellier masterfully tracks the lives of a diverse cast of duplicated characters: a hitman, an obscure author who penned a manuscript titled The Anomaly, a rising pop star, an architect, and a neuroscientist. As governments, theologians, and scientists attempt to comprehend this existential glitch, each character is forced to physically meet their identical counterpart, posing profound questions about identity, fate, parallel existences, and human nature.

A critically acclaimed, multi-genre bestseller that won the Prix Goncourt, offering a clever, fast-paced blend of sci-fi, dark comedy, and existential philosophy on human duplication.

Ideal for readers of translated French literature, fans of high-concept speculative sci-fi and psychological thrillers, and followers of prize-winning international fiction.