Sulphuric Acid by Amélie Nothomb

First Published in French: 2005
Translated into English: 2007

"Tired of traditional reality shows, the television audience wants blood, literally. One day, while out taking a walk in the Jardin des Plantes, Pannonique is piled into a cattle-truck. Suddenly, it seems, anyone can be picked up and hauled off to the studio without a moment's notice. Set in an unspecified time, "Sulphuric Acid" tells the story of this reality TV death camp which has become the nation's obsession - an amoral spectacle played out through the media - as we follow the shifting fortunes of Pannonique and her nemesis, the guard Zdena. A huge bestseller in her adopted France, it once again shows the unique voice and imagination of Amelie Nothomb."

- from http://fantasticfiction.co.uk

Televised concentration camps as reality TV. It's a very interesting story, and I will have to think on it some more...

The universe conspired against me reading this book (the first one I ordered got lost in the mail), none of my libraries own it. I should have listened, as this was not for me.
I went in prepared to be horrified and ended up....bored? It took me a week to get though all 127pgs. What was killing me was the lack of detail- what state is the world in that a show like this could actually get made (in which “they” have permission to really kill contestants)? Who are they to have so much control? Why is no one speaking up? What the hell is going on here?
Instead, the book is quite philosophical. And we only really meet two characters, which makes it difficult for the reader to sympathize with everyone going through this. Most characters are defined by their prisoner number, and maybe one small detail (i.e. he used to teach). There are constant comparisons to the concentration camps of the second World War and I guess the reader is just supposed to be so knowledgeable of that no other descriptions are needed?
I have to admit, I only hung in there to see how she was going to end it. That ended up being my favorite part.
Disappointing. I think the author could have gotten her grand ideas across in a different setting with a different situation.