PositiveLos Angeles Review of BooksHouellebecq’s strength has always been in his characters, and in Annihilation he spawns an intricate web of them ... If the Islamophobia in his books serves any purpose, it’s in showing a common perspective that helps one understand what lies beneath racism—that, unlike with the edgelords, it is not hatred but fear, a very human feeling. Fear is not something to be proud of, but instead ashamed; Houellebecq is not advocating for Islamophobia but conveying the collective experience of paranoia, which must be overcome ... Annihilation is the only logical conclusion to Houellebecq’s corpus—a risky leap into mature sincerity, shedding the bleak nihilist armor. His cynicism has always been a shield that he lowers to offer impactful glimpses of humanity and tenderness, but Annihilation is his least guarded. The edgelords are upset because, after everything, it turns out he has a heart.
Blake Butler
RaveHobart PulpDevastation provides clarity. Through therapy, Butler is able to notice the cycle of abuse and express it sharply. Butler’s details of Molly’s suffering are plentiful and vivid ... Transcends time and space, life and death. We are always surprising ourselves, realizing what we are capable of. The bottomlessness of misery is matched by the inconceivable heights of joy; at the end of the day, fear is just the sharp edge of awe ... I don’t think it is foolish to believe that the answer to oblivion is both love and art, the two—maybe only—vessels for infinity, and the main reasons to continue living.
Alyssa Songsiridej
RaveThe Observer... arrives at just the right time, serving as a fearless inquiry into the power of bodies and intimacy as well as a fierce acceptance of the inadequacy of words, which is rare for a writer, especially one with such rich prose, to admit. It’s more relevant than ever right now as the internet constantly uses words and terms with frustrating flippancy, collectively twisting and weaponizing language almost unintentionally.
