Submission by Michel Houellebecq

I heard a lot about Houellebecq so I picked up Submission from the local used book store.

What an engaging read--Houellebecq's style is informal, conversational, and has a laxity about it that I do not associate with French writers. 

Submission refers to submission to Islam. The year is 2022, and the Islamic party in France has won the national elections for the first time. I can't really speak to the French political context, but what I found more interesting is Houellebecq writing the story through an examination of French writer Huysmans. I read in an interview that Houellebecq originally wanted to entitle the novel The Conversion (or something to that effect).

​François is a disaffected Professor of French Literature specializing in Huysmans. There is nothing to look forward in life for him. He tries to follow in Huysmans' footsteps and look for meaning in life through conversion to Christianity, but fails to do so. Is this because of the displacement of Christianity in Europe's psyche? I got the impression that for Houellebecq Europe is one marked by decay, a decline from older glory days. 
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