Huh. I'd never heard of this author until now. This book is right at the top of his Amazon recommendations, and seems to be a perfect example of what you say. The reviews from the critics seem to bend over backwards to declare that he is writing some kind of satire, and meanwhile all the user reviews are like, "YEP, THIS IS TOTALLY GONNA HAPPEN."
Another user review from a book he wrote in 2004:
Houellebecq has an easily recognizable formula:
Cioranesque world-weariness
Distaste for modern society in most aspects
Barely disguised lust for teenage girls
Barely disguised antipathy for non-white immigrants
A belief in sex as a transcendental experience
A curiosity and respect for modern industry
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2022-01-16 01:08 am (UTC)Another user review from a book he wrote in 2004: