written by: Michel Houellebecq (translated from the French by Frank Wynne)
first published: Vintage International, 2000

One’s enjoyment of “The Elementary Particles” hinges directly on one’s capacity to stomach obscenity in exchange for the promise of a big intellectual payoff. On the one hand, it’s a thought-provoking novel that has earned author Michel Houellebecq comparisons to Huxley and Camus. On the other, it features pornographic descriptions of sex and violence that can be more than a bit unsettling.

The book serves largely as a fictional critique of the sexual liberation movement of the 1960s and ’70s, as well as its aftermath in the 1980s and ’90s. But it also posits a future in which the biological function of sex is fundamentally altered.

The story follows a pair of French half brothers—with the same promiscuous hippie mother but two different fathers—who exist on opposite ends of the sexual spectrum. Michel is a molecular biologist who is utterly disinterested in sex. He chooses a lonely life of introverted contemplation that ultimately leads to a world-altering epiphany—although the exact nature of that epiphany is not revealed until the epilogue.

Bruno, on the other hand, is driven almost exclusively by his pursuit of sexual gratification. He lusts wantonly over young teenage girls and seems to desire nothing other than carnal satisfaction. For the most part, he can only act out his fantasies with prostitutes, but he later tries his luck at a liberal sex commune.
Much of the narrative unfolds in the form of conversations between Michel and Bruno, or Michel and his childhood sweetheart Annabelle, or Bruno and his eventual girlfriend Christiane. At times, though, the narrator veers away from the immediate plot to describe the historical underpinnings of the sexual revolution, creating broad context before arcing back around to the characters embedded in the setting.

It’s not spoiling too much to say that Michel envisions a future in which the reproductive process is desexualized—a sci-fi concept previously embraced in Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World.” In fact, Houellebecq pays extensive literary homage to Huxley when Bruno discusses “Brave New World” with Michel. The world described in Huxley’s masterpiece, Bruno argues, is already at hand.

“Sexual liberation is total—nothing stands in the way of instant gratification,” Bruno tells his brother. “Oh, there are little moments of depression, of sadness or doubt, but they’re easily dealt with using advances in antidepressants and tranquilizers. ‘One cubic centimeter cures ten gloomy sentiments.’ This is exactly the sort of world we’re trying to create, the world we want to live in.”
In addition to a number of vivid and anatomically precise descriptions of sexual encounters, the book features a couple of shockingly violent passages. One particularly gruesome chapter describes in nauseating detail a cult of Satanists involved in ritualistic torture, rape and murder. Though brief, the section is graphic enough to make even the “Saw” and “Hostel” fans of the world feel queasy. 

Originally published in 1998, “The Elementary Particles” quickly stirred up controversy in France, where it sold hundreds of thousands of copies but received a mix of praise for its insightfulness and criticism for its vulgarity.

Houellebecq became an even more divisive literary figure with the release of his next novel, “Platform,” which involved sex tourism and expressed anti-Muslim sentiments. Houellebecq was charged with inciting racial and religious hatred after describing Islam as “stupid” in an interview about the book. He was also sued by a civil rights group. But he won both cases, citing freedom of expression.

“The Elementary Particles” doesn’t stoke such religious flames, but it’s rife with sex, pedophilia and fetishes. It’s no more offensive than a Bukowski novel in that regard, until you get to the Satanists. Readers should approach this one with a sense of adventure and be prepared for a bumpy ride into a new world—brave or otherwise.