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The Anomaly is a French bestseller, and I listened to the translated audiobook which was surprising and versatile in its focus. A hard book to pin down, as it begins with various perspectives which are very different but each I found myself invested in. Then, things switch gears when we veer into a science fiction bit via airplane. Governments, and religious leaders become involved. Identity, spirituality, destiny, control, and moral conundrums.

There are some fun moments, pithy one liners that jump off the page. Mostly, though, The Anomaly is brain-bending stuff 🤯 scientifically, spiritually, and philosophically. le Tellier covers a lot of ground very quickly, rather than focusing on any one aspect of the mystery in depth. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-anomaly-herve-le-tellier/

This book is completely fascinating. It builds slowly yet manages to be mesmerizing while doing so, leaving you in the dark (though I had thoughts) for almost half the book. And in the second half, those “in chargeâ€� made a choice I found curious but was good for the story. This would be a great book club book—there‘s so much to chew on.

This was a bit bonkers and a lot way over my head, but I really liked it! Fantastic writing, parallel universes, are we or are we not simulations, and so on…. This book will make you think and question! Thanks to @Sapphire for including it in #ALSpine 2022! Also, it fits #TBRtarot for December 😊ðŸ‘�ðŸ�»

This is science fiction thriller mystery love story and social satire all in one place. Masterfully suspenseful. So many characters but I was invested in all of them. I won‘t say too much more as I don‘t want to give anything away but I loved it 🥰

What a ride! One of the most creative books I‘ve read in a long time where you don‘t have any idea what is happening until half way through the book then it propels forward to a wild ending. Funny, smart, genre bending, thoughtful and thought provoking. Highly recommended.

I feel like I've read a summary of the story insted of the story. The characters are not enough developed. The author should have gone further in their history. I liked some characters, while some are just forgettable. I think that, in a story, don't care about a character is worst than hate it. However, I liked the phylosophical aspect of this novel.

This was strange.

I liked this. Certainly a cool and thought-provoking premise, and an interesting cast of characters (though some felt better developed than others). The story took a few disturbing detours that seemed kind of forced/shoehorned in to me, but otherwise I enjoyed the ride. I did love the narration by Dominic Hoffman.

Once you get past page 150 you are all in! Two of the same flights land three months apart. Wonder if there were two of you? Loved this concept. Maybe we are in a simulation!

I really really enjoyed this. So good. Great concept - a plane inexplicably duplicates - now there are two of every passenger. Great execution - it's not a straightforward narrative, but a really interestingly structured book, and very very readable. And a great start to the year's reading.

It took me awhile to get into, but I did enjoy this book!

The way to treat yourself during the covid … I‘m only one chapter in, but already very intrigued.

If my TBR list wasn‘t so gigantic, I would go out tonight and buy a hard copy of this and reread it! The skill it takes to pull off a book like this is baffling. There is no main character. The plot, when boiled down, is rather thin. Yet, the structure, the attention to detail, the prose, it all coalesces to form an experience like no other in literature. Also, Dominic Hoffman‘s narration is fantastic; he can read every book to me from now on.

Next audiobook on deck…

This book was a trip, in every sense of the word. I started it while waiting at an airport, maybe not the best idea since the plot involves an Air France flight to NY that encounters terrifying turbulence, with unexpected results. The Anomaly is ultimately a high concept existentential thriller with a distinct flavor of the original French. It quickly reaches conclusions that are open to considerably more debate, but the payoff is a bonkers ending

Probably the best book I have read in years. That is saying something in one of the best reading years I have had since I started keeping track in 1999. It was just a fun, mr toads wild ride. I don‘t know what to say that won‘t give away one layer or another. It‘s like that painting with all the stairs that go in different directions. But fun. And makes you google things.

I haven‘t had this much fun and excitement from a book since Mr. Penumbra or Harry Potter. Plus, this is smarter and more literary. Love it! Must read. #roadtrip #readaloud

A plane lands following severe weather related turbulance. Trouble is, the exact same plane, flown by the exact same pilot and containing the exact same passengers landed exacrly 3 months ago....

Started this on the recommendation of a friend. So far the pace is awesome!

@thearomaofbooks #bookspin #bookspinbingo Thanks for the reminder to post my June bookspin list! I still have quite a few from May that I would like to get to, so we'll see if this list sticks.
Also includes books for #TBRDeckOfCards #Roll100 #AuthorAMonth

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I accidentally glanced at a couple of Google reviews before reading this one and, based on those, I might be an outlier. I loved this book. It has so many qualities I don't like but it's different from anything I've read and I really enjoyed it. I reserved it from the library based solely on a patient recommendation. It's one of those books that the less you know going into the better IMO. 5��

I really enjoyed the beginning of this novel. It lost me a bit in the middle and I had hard time rejoining the plot line. Good potential, just a bit disconnected.

At one point in the story, a review of the book The Anomaly (written by one of the characters) is described as such: "Its a strange book, thrillingly fast-paced, unputdownable."
While opinion seems to be split here in the real world, that fictional meta-like review sums up my feelings for the actual book itself.
Plus, how can I not love a book that features a couple cameos by Elton John?

A tribute to the OuLiPo manifesto. I loved all the philosophy disguised under this smart thriller.
A plane with over 200 passengers onboard coming out of a terrible storm lands safely 106 days after a perfectly identical copy of it had landed. While the theory explaining the event sounds quite spectacular, the more shocking and thought-provoking is the question: what would you do if you met yourself and had to live in parallel with your double?

This was a terribly clever story of an incident that happens on an airline flight and the people we meet who were affected. The plot is compelling but the various small stories of the passengers allow us to think about the moral, ethical and philosophical issues about who we are to ourselves and each other.

I liked this very strange take of a plane that lands identical to a plane that landed three months earlier. Same pilot, same passengers. The characters are really interesting and I liked how the story played out.

The Anomaly is easy to read, compelling and plot driven, and simultaneously hinges on a premise which makes you think and question. I was prepared to forgive a lot of its flaws on account of how interested I was in just what was going on. A little bit of the nuance in terms of the genre play that Le Tellier was aiming for was lost in translation for this reader. It‘s not a literary giant, but it was a fun way to spend a week.

A plane goes through turbulence and lands safely… only to come out of the same turbulence 106 days later.
What happened?
My one issue is that the author never convinces you of the theory that he goes with.
That said, the story really is about the people on the plane. In that time, some people die; marry; get pregnant; break up; achieve the success they‘ve worked for. What to do with the alternate version of themselves that knows none of this?

Yes! A great slow thriller, reminded me of the concept of the tv show Manifest (I did not watch)- the way the author broke up the chapters by character drew out the full story and the small nuances of what was happening.

This book plays with possibilities. With the What Ifs of our lives. Yes, Le Tellier likes to play and he doesn‘t stop until the very last page. How would you react of you‘d meet yourself? What would be different? What path would you choose?
We follow a couple of characters on their way to accept the unaccaptable, to deal with different life decisions, and the new possibilities to change one‘s past mistakes.
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