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Michel, Valerie and her boss Jean-Yves travel to
Thailand on one of their company's tours incognito and enjoy an idyllic holiday. They decide that they will move to Thailand permanently, to perpetuate the bliss they experience there. However, towards the end of their holiday,
204:—is suggested, but is rejected as being too explicit. It is decided that Thailand is the best location for the new clubs, with the advertising making it clear that Thai women would also be easily available. The tours are to be marketed predominantly to
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called "friendly tourism", implicitly aimed at
Europeans looking for a sexual experience whilst on vacation. Single men and women—and even couples—are to be targeted, and would vacation in specially designed "Aphrodite Clubs".
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in which Valérie is killed. Michel is left bereft, and at the end of the novel he travels back to
Thailand to die. At this point, the reader realizes that the novel is in fact his
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128:). A similar coincidence, involving Houellebecq, Islam and terrorism, would occur 13 years later, when his novel
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Initially, the name "Venus clubs"—an allusion to the Villa Venus clubs dreamed of by Eric Veen in
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The novel and its author have been deemed "prophetic" or "prescient", as the last part depicts an
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The story is the first-person narrative of a fictional character named Michel
Renault, a
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saying on the consensus " No consensus, with almost no one completely enthusiastic".
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who, after the death of his father and thanks to a hefty inheritance, engages in
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but the charges were ultimately dismissed, as it has been ruled that the
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355:. 21 November 2015. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015
316:"BOOKS OF THE TIMES; Tourism, Sex and a Generous Dose of Contempt"
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was generally well-received among the
British press. According to
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consumers, as it is perceived that there will be less
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33:Cover of the U.S. paperback release of the novel.
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113:encompasses the right to criticize religions.
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297:"Calling Islam stupid lands author in court"
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143:based on the book, adapted and directed by
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389:"Article clipped from The Daily Telegraph"
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120:which bears strong similarities with
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782:The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq
295:Webster, Peter (18 September 2002).
182:group, an allusion to the real-life
122:the bombings in Bali in October 2002
186:group) to launch a new variety of
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828:French novels adapted into plays
149:Edinburgh International Festival
16:2001 novel by Michel Houellebecq
688:In the Presence of Schopenhauer
641:Configuration du dernier rivage
397:. 7 September 2002. p. 58
314:Maslin, Janet (21 July 2003).
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823:Novels by Michel Houellebecq
582:The Possibility of an Island
475:, review of Platform in the
89:(translated into English by
353:www.worldaffairsjournal.org
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833:Éditions Flammarion books
696:Quelques mois dans ma vie
590:The Map and the Territory
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373:: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
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755:The Elementary Particles
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818:Books critical of Islam
739:To Stay Alive: A Method
134:Charlie Hebdo shooting
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111:right to free speech
633:The Art of Struggle
484:22 May 2011 at the
473:'Confused Extremes'
39:Original title
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813:2001 French novels
675:(1998, 2009, 2020)
522:Michel Houellebecq
320:The New York Times
271:Female sex tourism
266:Criticism of Islam
196:Vladimir Nabokov's
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230:suicide note
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99:Islamophobia
81:) is a 2001
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838:Sex tourism
359:1 September
333:1 September
276:Sex tourism
168:sex tourism
95:sex tourism
91:Frank Wynne
807:Categories
655:monographs
653:Essays and
598:Submission
444:"Platform"
428:16 January
422:Book Marks
417:"Platform"
394:Newspapers
282:References
247:Book Marks
139:A play in
130:Submission
79:Plateforme
43:Plateforme
606:Serotonin
566:Lanzarote
454:4 October
328:0362-4331
236:Reception
224:commit a
22:Platform
790:Thalasso
723:Atomised
715:Whatever
574:Platform
558:Atomised
550:Whatever
482:Archived
369:cite web
260:See also
242:Platform
198:classic
172:Thailand
161:Parisian
70:Platform
49:Language
214:Germany
141:Spanish
793:(2019)
785:(2014)
777:(2009)
758:(2021)
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734:(2008)
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718:(1999)
699:(2023)
691:(2017)
683:(2008)
667:(1991)
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636:(1996)
625:Poetry
617:(2022)
609:(2019)
601:(2015)
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561:(1998)
553:(1994)
542:Novels
401:8 June
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206:German
180:Aurore
176:France
103:racial
75:French
52:French
184:Accor
83:novel
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430:2024
403:2024
375:link
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324:ISSN
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