Jeden z najnesympatickejších hrdinov. Svoje osobné problémy sa snaží zakrývať cynizmom a rádoby-úvahami o spoločnosti. Nič mu nebolo dosť dobré, sám ale neprejavoval akékoľvek snahy o zlepšenie svojho postavenia. Totálna letargia. Som rád, že to bolo také krátke. Dočítal som to len z povinnosti.

You gotta love a French guy who takes pops at his own nation. Their small minded provinciality within the global village. Their antiquated apparatchik system of job creation. Their sexual mores (a wonderful little vignette on buying the right size of bed to give the lie to you being perceived as petty bourgeoisie). It all clearly brings up the taste of bile to Monsieur Houellebecq which makes for an entertaining read. Not quite the breadth of vision as with his later novels, but a good starting point for a reader new to the author to see if they might appreciate his misanthropy. I know I do!

Depressing, disturbing, but strangely funny. The eloquence he uses to convey the emptiness of human life reinforces my impression that French people are too smart for their own good.

If office life got you down, well, don't read this book. It's bleak, pessimistic, and pretty standard for the single white male disillusionment with corporate toil tale that seemed to be everywhere in the 1990s. It takes place in France, while most of this type of fiction was probably American or British in origin, this one really takes the cake for being a downer without many redeeming qualities.

Oh, and the translator is so British it's distracting.