Annihilation: The International No. 1 Bestseller

A Daily Express Book of the Year

'A must-read' – Evening Standard

'Houellebecq’s new book proves he is one of the world’s greatest novelists' – The Daily Telegraph

'The most important novelist to have been publishing in all of Europe over the past three decades' – The Sunday Times

As France faces a closely contested presidential campaign, the government becomes the target of a series of mysterious and unsettling cyberattacks. Paul Raison, an advisor to the finance minister and with family ties to the DGSI, the French counterterrorism agency, is drawn into the state’s chaotic response.

But Paul’s personal life mirrors the nation’s turmoil:

• His marriage has collapsed.
• He has become distant from his siblings.
• His father has been hospitalized following a stroke.

In narrating Paul’s story, Annihilation transitions effortlessly between a gripping espionage thriller and a heartfelt family drama. The result is a profound and moving reflection on love, care, and mortality.

'Annihilation leans neither towards hope nor despair, but towards a transcendent serenity' – The Guardian

Translated from the French by Shaun Whiteside