Platform (novel)

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Cover of the U.S. paperback release of the novel.

Platform is a novel by French writer Michel Houellebecq (translated from the French by Frank Wynne). It has received both great praise and great criticism, most notably for the novel's apparent condoning of sex tourism and anti-Muslim feelings.

A play in Spanish based on the book, adapted and directed by Calixto Bieito, will premiere at the 2006 Edinburgh International Festival.

[edit] Storyline

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The story is the first-person narrative of a fictional character named Michel Renault (undoubtedly closely based on the author), a Parisian civil servant who, after the death of his father, engages in sexual tourism in Thailand, where he meets a travel agent named Valérie. Valerie and Renault begin an affair, and, after moving back to France, hatch a plan with Valerie's boss (who works in the travel industry in the Aurore group, an allusion to the real-life Accor group) to launch a new variety of package holiday implicitly or explicitly aimed at European sex tourists. Single men would be targeted, and cheap accommodation and flights made available for Thailand, with the advertising making it clear that Thai women would also be easily available. However, the plans are leaked to the press, resulting in an outburst of moral outrage in the French media. Valerie and Renault decide to continue with their plan by altering the advertising they had planned to downplay the 'sex tourism' aspect, but before they can do so, whilst on a fact finding mission in Thailand, Muslim extremists commit a terrorist act (eerily similar to the Bali Bombing which occurred after the novel was published) in which Valerie is killed.

[edit] Criticism

The novel has been criticized for its controversial content, including sexual elements some consider to be obscene, such as bisexuality and polyamory, and opinions some consider offensive to Islam.

Extracts from the novel, together with an interview he accorded the magazine Lire led to charges being brought against him by France's Human Rights League, the Mecca-based World Islamic League and the mosques of Paris and Lyon in a trial reminiscent of Britain's Salman Rushdie affair. A panel of three judges, delivering their verdict to a packed Paris courtroom, acquitted Houellebecq of the charges of provoking racial hatred, ascribing Houellebecq's opinions to the legitimate right of criticizing religions.