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Serotonin

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( 31,386 ratings, 3,166 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Serotonin by Michel Houellebecq follows Florent-Claude Labrouste, an agronomist in his mid-forties, as he grapples with depression and dissatisfaction in modern life. Seeking solace, he leaves his current life behind, embarking on a journey through rural France, reflecting on past relationships and societal decay. His story explores themes of personal despair and broader cultural malaise, all the while questioning the true nature of happiness.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're captivated by contemporary societal commentary and dark humour. It delves into the struggles of modern life, exploring themes of isolation, depression, and the search for meaning with a satirical edge. If you're intrigued by characters who reflect the complexities of life today, this narrative might resonate with you.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2020

A powerful criticism of modern life by one of the most provocative and prophetic writers of our age.

Florent-Claude Labrouste is dying of sadness. Despised by his girlfriend and on the brink of career failure, his last hope for relief comes in the form of a newly available antidepressant that alters the brain's release of serotonin.

When he returns to the Normandy countryside in search of serenity, he instead finds a rural community left behind by globalisation and red-tape agricultural policies, with local farmers longing for an impossible return to what they remember as a golden age.

'Despite its provocations, this is a novel of romantic and sorrowful ideas - Houellebecq as troubadour, singing lost loves' - Rachel Kushner

Michel Houellebecq has good claim to be the most interesting novelist of our times. . . Exhilarating in its nihilism, often very funny and always enjoyable' - Evening Standard

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Serotonin is praised for its incisive depiction of modern society's malaise, burning with anger and often laced with dark humour. Critics appreciate the novel's ability to point out societal wounds, describing it as bleak yet significant, posing necessary questions. Houellebecq's fluid writing style and provocative nature, along with his acute sociological curiosity, make the book a compelling read, often resonating eerily with contemporary events.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529111712

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 17 September 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage

Contributors:

  • Translated by Shaun Whiteside
  • Translated by Shaun Whiteside
  • Translated by Shaun Whiteside

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 19.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 227g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Michel Houellebecq (Author) Michel Houellebecq is a poet, essayist and novelist. He is the author of several novels including The Map and the Territory (winner of the Prix Goncourt), Atomised, Platform, Whatever and Submission. He was awarded the Legion d'Honneur in 2019. Shaun Whiteside (Translator) Shaun Whiteside is an award-winning translator from French, German, Italian and Dutch. His most recent translations from German include Aftermath by Harald J hner, To Die in Spring by Ralf Rothmann, Swansong 1945 by Walter Kempowski, Berlin Finale by Heinz Rein and The Broken House by Horst Kr ger.

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