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chairman_meow77's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This novel will leave me contemplating existence, humanity, and genetic modification for a very long time to come. Some of the sexual content in the middle of the novel seemed gratuitous at the time but I am not abandoning the thought that I may be missing something essential in these scenes that provides a kind of reinforcement to the larger themes presented.
notmckinzie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Profoundly disgusting but not necessarily incorrect in being so. Considering the goal is to explore in-depth the individualism of the post-WWII 20th century, it succeeds, but this one certainly isn’t for everyone and there are other novels that explore the same ideas without excessive graphic detail (specifically sexual). That being said, I enjoyed it! As much as you can enjoy something like this, anyway. Definitely better than Serotonin, which does explore a lot of similar ideas but in a less satisfying and cohesive way. The eventual culmination of the narrative in Atomised (btw I realize the American title of this book is The Elementary Particles, but I was reading my boyfriends copy which is an Irish copy and is therefore titled Atomised… I like that title better so I’m sticking to it) is genuinely breathtaking, with ideas presented that still resonate in 2024. Definitely recommend if you like fiction that bakes philosophy into every page or that takes a critical view of contemporary society. Also, goes without saying, but Houellebecq is a neo-conservative so, like, keep that in mind lol. Not all of this should be taken seriously and that’s not even his intention but still. Fair warning that there are some moments of bullshit!
mglen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bblammah's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
marusinp's review against another edition
5.0
A word 'masochism' comes to my mind when I think about this book. And in a good way - the bleakness hits you hard but the writing is stellar.
In contrary to the popular opinion I don't think that this is book w/ just a high shock value. The story contains a vast amount of hard-pill-to-swallow observations - sometimes hidden, other time explicitly stated. You may not like the nihilistic tone or story in general, but it would be wrong to categorize this as pretentious or irrelevant.
In contrary to the popular opinion I don't think that this is book w/ just a high shock value. The story contains a vast amount of hard-pill-to-swallow observations - sometimes hidden, other time explicitly stated. You may not like the nihilistic tone or story in general, but it would be wrong to categorize this as pretentious or irrelevant.
vex97's review against another edition
1.0
Dropped this book 3/4 of the way through. Main reason: got bored.
It's disappointing to come to this book after reading Houellebecq's Whatever. I enjoyed Whatever for its dive into the human condition of atomized and sexually frustrated individuals in the context of advanced hyper-capitalism. Thus, I came into Elementary Particles in anticipation; this is considered Houllebecq's best work, and I wanted more of what was in Whatever. But here, Houellebecq's execution is lacking, to say the least.
After reading yet another dry account of Bruno masturbating, I just stopped reading. More than halfway through the book, I still had no idea what the narrative was. Rather, the story consisted of the characters going on long and boring expositions with lurid details which seemed to just be there just for shock factor. And the book isn't intelligent. For instance, there is a blatant and unoriginal Crime and Punishment ripoff character who likens himself to Napoleon and uses that to justify heinous Satanic deeds. Indeed, the "philosophical" remarks that are sprinkled throughout the work are either trivial (e.g., capitalist societies value youth above old age) or specious (e.g., there is no such thing as paternal love, Charles Manson was an inevitable product of the hippie movement, etc.).
On another note, this book is racist. Considering Houllebecq's personal views, it is not far-fetched to tie Bruno's racist and Islamaphobic remarks to the author's actual views. At least in Whatever, the protagonist's misogyny is understandable given that he is a sexually-frustrated male. (Of course, understandable being that the protagonist espousing misogynistic views is consistent with the narrative; misogyny is never defensible.) But the racism in this book comes out of left field and is completely unnecessary to the "narrative."
Overall, don't waste your time. There are much better authors than Houellebecq (e.g., Dostoevesky, Schopenhauer, Cioran, etc.) that explore the human condition in a more intelligent, better-written manner without needless misogyny and racism.
It's disappointing to come to this book after reading Houellebecq's Whatever. I enjoyed Whatever for its dive into the human condition of atomized and sexually frustrated individuals in the context of advanced hyper-capitalism. Thus, I came into Elementary Particles in anticipation; this is considered Houllebecq's best work, and I wanted more of what was in Whatever. But here, Houellebecq's execution is lacking, to say the least.
After reading yet another dry account of Bruno masturbating, I just stopped reading. More than halfway through the book, I still had no idea what the narrative was. Rather, the story consisted of the characters going on long and boring expositions with lurid details which seemed to just be there just for shock factor. And the book isn't intelligent. For instance, there is a blatant and unoriginal Crime and Punishment ripoff character who likens himself to Napoleon and uses that to justify heinous Satanic deeds. Indeed, the "philosophical" remarks that are sprinkled throughout the work are either trivial (e.g., capitalist societies value youth above old age) or specious (e.g., there is no such thing as paternal love, Charles Manson was an inevitable product of the hippie movement, etc.).
On another note, this book is racist. Considering Houllebecq's personal views, it is not far-fetched to tie Bruno's racist and Islamaphobic remarks to the author's actual views. At least in Whatever, the protagonist's misogyny is understandable given that he is a sexually-frustrated male. (Of course, understandable being that the protagonist espousing misogynistic views is consistent with the narrative; misogyny is never defensible.) But the racism in this book comes out of left field and is completely unnecessary to the "narrative."
Overall, don't waste your time. There are much better authors than Houellebecq (e.g., Dostoevesky, Schopenhauer, Cioran, etc.) that explore the human condition in a more intelligent, better-written manner without needless misogyny and racism.
hvertti's review
1.0
Al terminar de leer este libro, no sabía si sentía más lástima por los personajes femeninos o los masculinos. Ya lo pensé más y creo que el que me da más pena es el autor, que vive en un mundo chiquitito donde Francia, el cristianismo y la masculinidad son el principio y el centro de todo. No se si otros libros de este autor sean mejores, pero creo que prefiero releer algo de Umberto Eco o ver una película de Eric Idle, que vivieron o viven en mundos más amplios.
lucaso's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
stolb's review against another edition
5.0
She was a child meant for happiness,
And gave to everyone her heart's treasure
She could have given her life for others,
Among the newborn of her bed
By the cry of children
By the blood of the race
Her ever-present dream
Will leave a trace
Written in time
Written in space
Written on the flesh
Forever sanctified
In the mountains, the air
And in river waters clear
In the changing sky
Now you are here,
On your deathbed
So still in your coma
And here you love still.
Our bodies will become cold, barely present
In the grass, my Annabelle,
Which will be the death too
Of every individual
We will have loved little
In our human form
Perhaps the sun, the rain on our graves,
The wind and the frost
Will end all our pain.
And gave to everyone her heart's treasure
She could have given her life for others,
Among the newborn of her bed
By the cry of children
By the blood of the race
Her ever-present dream
Will leave a trace
Written in time
Written in space
Written on the flesh
Forever sanctified
In the mountains, the air
And in river waters clear
In the changing sky
Now you are here,
On your deathbed
So still in your coma
And here you love still.
Our bodies will become cold, barely present
In the grass, my Annabelle,
Which will be the death too
Of every individual
We will have loved little
In our human form
Perhaps the sun, the rain on our graves,
The wind and the frost
Will end all our pain.