Michel Houellebecq
Serotonina

I consider Michel Houellebecq the writer who, currently, manages to describe the degraded and decaying reality we are living in the most effective and profound way. His essay on H.P. Lovecraft remains exemplary even today. His books are an indictment against Western society and the decay of the modern world. But Houellebecq's books are also prophetic, as demonstrated by Submission, released simultaneously with the Islamic attacks on the Charlie Hebdo editorial office, and also by the new novel Serotonin which foreshadowed the Yellow Vests protest. Some believe that Houellebecq has already given his best in his early novels, particularly in the two masterpieces The Elementary Particles and Whatever. I disagree: I consider the French writer one of the great intellectuals of our time, a figure who has always had something to say. This Serotonin was criticized by an important name like Antonio Scurati in "La Stampa": according to the author of M, Houellebecq would be repeating himself. In reality, Serotonin is, in my opinion, a masterpiece. The protagonist - Florent - is a man in crisis with an already tired relationship with a young Japanese girl named Yuzu. Once he discovers that she cheats on him shamelessly by having sex with dogs, Florent decides to leave her. From this moment on, his life will enter a negative spiral that will lead him to depression. In fact, this is a topic he has already addressed in the past, but here he might be even more convincing and persuasive in describing the abjection and emptiness of life in contemporary reality. Florent turns to a psychiatrist who prescribes him a psychotropic drug. At first, it seems to work, although it has the side effect of removing his libido. He thus lives a bland, flat life without major jolts that, at least initially, he manages to endure. The lack of sexual desire does not seem to be a big problem. He then retraces - in various flashbacks - some of his significant encounters in his life, like the one with his friend Aymeric and with another girl with whom he has a relationship. As often happens in his novels, tragedy is just around the corner. In the end, an array of empty and meaningless existences emerges: it is an indictment of the liberalism and capitalism that govern our lives. However - I hate to say it - there is an unforgivable blunder in this book, and I cannot fathom how no editor noticed it. When describing his friend Aymeric Florent's musical tastes, he cites Ummagumma by Pink Floyd, calling it "the cow album." That, dear Houellebecq, is Atom Heart Mother! You don't have to be a great music expert to know this. Perhaps the editors Houellebecq relies on have never listened to Pink Floyd! In any case, Serotonin confirms all the talent of one of the great interpreters of the crisis of our time.