A review by onemorepagecrew
The Anomaly by Hervé Le Tellier

mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I was given this book as a present from my sweet family who knows I adore translations, and when I first read the description, I was intrigued.  It’s set-up primarily as a mystery with elements of science-fiction and multiple dimensions. The book begins by introducing the reader to many characters; each set-up with a backstory and a common thread of a flight they took together.  As the book progresses, the mystery is laid out for the reader and the flight that connected them is the center of the story.  Without giving too much away, an unexplainable situation occurs, and it becomes a global mystery with rippling consequences.  
 
I really enjoyed the pace and the way the book was laid out in the first 2/3 of the book, and I had trouble with the meandering pace of the last 1/3.  Additionally, the way each country and each character were portrayed bordered on exaggerations, and it detracted from the story a bit.  I suspect the author was going for political and social satire and it just felt out of place in a mystery that was trying to build suspense.  I enjoyed seeing how each character handled the “event” and the variety of ways it played out in their lives - I think this was my favorite part of the book.  Overall, I liked the premise and enjoyed the thought-provoking aspects; it fell into the “selectively recommend” category for me. 
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