This literary thriller from France has the largest possible thematic aspirations. It asks the question, “What would you do if reality itself were destroyed?” Said destruction occurs during a Paris-to-New York flight, when a glitch in the space-time fabric shunts 240 passengers into a whole new realm of being.
The premise is brilliant, and the story’s thriller aspects are at times gripping, but there’s also a diffuse feel to the range of characters. The emotional tenor is incompatible with that big, life-altering development. That makes it hard to suspend disbelief—even if most of the story is both entertaining and thought provoking. The Anomaly is wholly unique, but it’s also a little like watching people fiddle while Rome burns. Reviewed on April 14, 2022