A man takes nineteen four-year-old children hostage in a nursery school. For hostage negotiator Emile, this is almost routine. Except for one detail: the hostage-taker claims to be Elon Musk.

Emile has never faced a situation like this. A man assuming the identity of a global celebrity challenges every rule of negotiation. As the tense exchange unfolds entirely through dialogue, the story becomes a psychological confrontation that slowly shifts into something more intimate. Emile tries to build trust. “Elon” insists on telling his truth. The novel is structured in two parts. Before the first ends, the reader begins to wonder. Could this disturbed man actually be who he claims? The question is only the beginning of a gripping and unpredictable journey that holds the reader until the final page.

Clara Dupont-Monod offers a powerful and intelligent political fable. It captures the fears, fractures, and madness of today’s world while leaving space for a fragile sense of hope. Themes of post-truth, artificial intelligence, ultra-liberalism, rising fascism, and the chaos of social media are explored with clarity and force.