Platform

I am reading my fifth novel by Houellebecq at the moment. Although Platform was not my favorite of his novels, it still has leagues more depth in terms of its insights, emotions, humor, pathos and perceptions of all the problems of modern life, foibles of human character, etc. than almost any other novel I can think of (excepting, of course, other novels by Houellebecq). I love Houellebecq so much that I actually composed a musical portrait of him which I posted online. Reading his novels is like being in the company of a close friend. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to write reviews, nor to go into great depth about this book. Suffice it say, I am of the opinion that Houellebecq is an important writer—undoubtedly one of the greatest of all living novelists. His writing is fearless, incisive, poignant, original, and, at times, utterly shocking. Genius! Caveat: not for the squeamish or puritanical of heart.

"Anything can happen in life, especially nothing."This sums up Michel's Houllebecq's novel quite well. Michel, the narrator, says people think of him as aa "harmless human being, moderately amusing." "They were right," he says. "That was about it." He avoids other people because "It is in our relations with other people that we gain a sense of ourselves; it's that, pretty much, that makes relations with other people unbearable."He is one cynical guy. He maintains that individuality is a sham: "When all's said and done, the idea of the uniqueness of the individual is nothing more than pompous absurdity." But I don't think he really believes that. There's something else underneath, some hope that life could be better under certain circumstances.He meets a young woman named Valerie on a trip to Thailand, where about two-thirds of the story takes place. He is blown away by Valerie's innate desire to give others pleasure. It's something he's never found in a person before. Their sex is frequent and intense and detailed intricately in Houllebecq's prose. Some is his best writing is when he is describing sex, or the desire to have sex, or the feeling after having sex. He's not quite obsessed with sex, but I would say he gives it more worth and value than most people in 21st Century America do. (Sometimes we need a Frenchman to remind us that sex is good!) Sex, he says "is the only game left to adults." That said, if you're easily offended by sexual acts, this book is not for you. Many people would consider large portions of this book to be nothing more than pornography. I disagree, because I think there's more going on here, but it's true that Houllebecq loves writing steamy stuff.However, there's a dark tone underlying all this love and sex, because the narrator tells us early on that he is now alone and regrets never being able "to know a wife's body." So we know something goes wrong with Valerie, we just don't know what it is.In the second half, the book switches from a story of sexual self-discovery and blossoming love to a story of how two people (Michel and Valerie) fit into the global economic system. I don't want to read too much into his writing, but I know Houllebecq too be crafty, always sneaking in meaning and larger philosophical issues. And the global political themes are very easy to spot. Valerie is involved in setting up hotels in third-word countries, and she and Michel begin to foray into sex tourism, making women available at these hotels for rich people to sleep with. They view it as a capitalist Meanwhile, they're having sex like crazy, experimenting, and at times it seems a bit too much for Michel. It becomes clear that their entrepreneurial sex endeavor will run up against some powerful forces. And it becomes clear that this clash of civilizations is the dark event the narrator foreshadowed.Michel struggles to hold onto his rejuvenated life, which is always vulnerable to his original cynicism. In the latter throes of the book, it becomes clear that the narrator Michel is just as cynical as he ever was. A broken man is telling us this story. "We are probably wrong to assume that each individual has some secret passion, some mystery, some weakness." No matter what kind of pleasure he experiences, Michel still retains his cynical belief that the idea of "the individual" is a lie. By allowing ourselves to be overcome with passion, we also make ourselves vulnerable to pain. The higher the joy, the more potential it has to hurt when it comes tumbling down. And this is exactly what happens to the narrator.One of the most moving and gorgeous passages in the book has nothing to do with Michel, but with a dying old man. He realizes at the end of his life that the only good thing he did in life was raise a few rabbits in a small hutch. His career, his wife, it was all a pointless pursuit. But this admission isn't totally nihilistic. Those rabbits had some sort of meaning and power in his life. Of course, in typical Houllebecq fashion, when the man dies, his wife wants to kill all the rabbits to be rid of them.Most of the novel is written in first-person, but then Houllebecq switches to third person omniscient. So, essentially, the reader gets insight into the other characters, pictures of their most vivid memories and most intense desires, but we're still in the language, the head of the narrator, Michel. Normally, I think this kind of blending of points of view can be gimmicky, but somehow Houllebecq makes it work."It's curious to think of all the human beings who live out their whole lives without feeling the need to make the slightest comment, the slightest objection, the slightest remark." But when Valerie is gone, this is exactly what Michel does. For him, Valerie was the one exception, the one passionate outlet. Once she's gone, he realizes he no longer wants to make any comments or objections. He doesn't love and he doesn't hate. He simply accepts his fate and the end of his life in a sober manner. In the end he knows he will be forgotten, and quickly. It's a bleak assessment of his life, but it's also a realistic assessment. As he himself admits, the protagonist was a "mediocre individual in every sense."The book, however, was in no way mediocre. This is a fantastic effort that explores the nature of love and desire, the ugly heart of materialism and the agony of loss.

All of this authors book boil down to a clever counterfactual, what if Saudi Arabia bought Paris, or what if Hilton decided to get into the sex tourism business, and then just a lot of vulgar language, and trite conversation. Be reading.

One of his best. Dark, honest, raw, insightful & compelling. His obsession with sex gets a bit tiresome but overall a great book.

This book suffers for its first-person perspective. Clearly we see that Houellebecq wishes to 'get into the heads' of his female foil and his supporting male, so we have some amusing scenes where our narrator expounds at length in the third person about Valerie, and then adds an "I" after it all to add his commentary. Aside from some strangeness like this, the book is classically Houellebecq: a big hit among the fans, and sure to be hated by the detractors. This is probably the author at his most reactionary, but then with the left in the state that it is, what other option is there?What else? The claims that this book is depressing, misogynistic, etc. are absolutely ridiculous. The one fully formed person in this book is Valerie. She is humanized; she is whole, and for that there is an incredible contrast between Valerie and her male counterparts. Houellebecq is not anti-human; he is a romantic who's disappointed with the trajectory of the world.

Obviously much has already been written about Platform by Michel Houellebecq. The book is on its surface provocative, outrageous and at certain times even obscene, while underneath it plays very skillfully with complex themes through motifs. A story about a wild romance and the (sex)tourism sector is the backdrop for a thought provoking piece on immigration, Western principles, individualization, power structures, capitalism and many of its derivatives. I believe I got a good grasp of many of the concepts Houellebecq conveys to the reader, but this book contains so much that I must reread it many times before I truly understand all the aspects of this work.

Yes. A true pleasure and as expected a masterly written work of art. The destiny of a man, his hopes, his dreams, his pros and his cons. Platform is not for the light holiday read. It reaches deep within and it stages its performance on the dimly lit stage of human, perhaps all too human, existence. Strongly recommended..

Part one of this novel, "Thai Tropic," seemed so much of a rewrite of Camus's L'Étranger that I almost stopped reading before part two, "Competitive Advantage." It was worth sticking to it, though. Yes, the sex is unrealistically great 100% of the time for Michel and everyone else, but this is a philosophical novel and it's pretty clear that Houellebecq is contrasting perfection with the concluding events. His plan works.I also can see why Muslims might not like this book--the putdown of Islam from the mouth of an Egyptian expat on 179 is devastating, and to this agnostic, hilarious.The excessively passive protagonist is hard to connect to, but this story of how love happens kept me reading.

Alles OK.

Me interesaba este libro porque mi amigo me lo recomendó. Sin embargo, el estilo del escritor hace que sea muy difícil de leer. También hay un montón de errores. Quizás otra versión sea mejor.

One of the early stomach-turners form Michel Houellebecq

How can I review this book , as I paid for it and CANNOT see it in my library, even though I have downloaded the PC app.

Set in the third world of rich westerners where life revolves around uncomplicated pleasures of massage parlors and cheap sex, this novel opens your eyes on nexus between sex and tourism, like no one else.Reading him was never disappointing.