Books: The Map and The Territory

You will be wondering about the theme even when you have finished half the book. Although the book is confuses the reader in terms of the genre, it is essentially a story of artist - right from the struggling days to glory days to old age. All through the book, mentor figures and their departure through death plays an important role. Written by Michel Houelllebecq and translated to English, this book provides a very interesting read.

Set in Paris, the novel is almost a commentary on French living loaded with cynicism and satire The way the characters think and react brought me a sense of deja-vu because those are the ways some of my friends think and react. That in itself was a good reason for me not to keep the book down. Moreover, Michel uses this book to justify his convictions and poke his contemporaries as well as adversaries. His convictions are different which sometimes makes us raise an eyebrow and otherwise admire him. The various potshots brings a smile in us. To make the novel more audacious, Michel also makes himself a key character in the plot.

The style of narration is different. It is not different because of the usage of language but how the characters appear. Towards the end of the book, Michel throws us offtrack with the death of a key character. At that point, new characters are introduced and the main characters goes offstage for a long period. Then towards the epilogue, two different story lines are given a conclusion, although it might not be the kind you like. Michel may not possess a beautiful mind but a very different and interesting one. 

If you want to surprise yourself and you do not mind drama, then I suggest to pick this one.

Tags: Books,Michel Houelllebecq



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