Zničit – Houellebecq Michel (2022)

It is the year 2027 when cyber and terrorist attacks paralyze French society overwhelmed by a presidential campaign. The perpetrators mainly target symbols of modern Western civilization and use such advanced digital effects that it is difficult to distinguish between illusion and reality. Paul Raison, an advisor and confidant to the Minister of Economy, occasionally falls into irrational dreams while his family life is on the brink of collapse. Although he lives with his wife in a luxury apartment in the heart of Paris, they have long been estranged. They don't even have children, although those 'are no longer enough to save a couple today.' He doesn't understand his siblings: his sister from a poor industrial region remains a devout housewife, his brother is trampled by his wife and lives only for restoring tapestries. He sees his father more out of obligation, and his father's partner is afraid of him. It is only an irreversible intervention from above that pulls the family from the sleepy gradual decay. Paradoxically, from illness arises a will to live, and misfortune becomes an opportunity for closeness. The novel magnificently unfolds into many streams at the beginning, but many of them weaken and fade along the way. The chaotic and vibrant Paris contrasts with the nostalgic and calm countryside, great histories, possibly omens...