A less than average Nothomb. There are a few sparkling sentences here and there but the whole narrative is flat, non imaginative and nothing we haven't seen, read or heard. Woe is my white male condition, I'll take all with me because I got rejected. Maybe there is a second degree to this but I don't feel it. Good thing it was short. ( )

In this book we encounter Nothomb's signature style from her "Hygiene de l'assassin" days. It is a story about a failed love which leads the main character to the terrorist act of hijacking an airplane. The story isn't a social commentary on terrorism nor is it a experiment in style or wit. It's a simple story as to a man's attempts at a relationship and how he has found himself on this fateful plane. An enjoyable, short read, that plunged me back into the Nothomb world but doesn't have as lasting an impression as her other works.

(My star ratings for Nothomb works are based on her body of work, and are separate of her ranking amongst other authors.) ( )

Un homme dans la quarantaine, Zoïle, s'apprête à monter à bord d'un 747 et à le faire exploser en plein vol. Au coeur de ce bref roman au ton acide, le dévoilement des raisons qui poussent cet employé de l'EDF à commettre un attentat, raisons aussi tordues que personnelles et qui n'ont rien à voir avec la politique ou un quelconque groupuscule terroriste. ( )