A novel of rage, irreverence and vulnerability, exploring ageing, gender, privilege, addiction and consent, Dear Dickhead is an excoriating encapsulation of our times - by the queen of French punk literature

Rebecca is in her fifties, a beautiful and successful actress past the peak of her career. Oscar is 35, a moderately well-known author who spends his time listening to rap music and trying to write a new novel. They were both nursed on the idea of the tortured artist and are experts in drug addiction, but they feel they may have to change their habits.

Zoé is a feminist in her late twenties. She wants neither to forgive nor to forget. She is addicted to social media, and that is where she spends all her time.

The three of them are not reliable. They are loud, opinionated and vulnerable. Until a friendship falls upon them and forces them to lay down their arms.

A book of rage, anger and acceptance, Dear Dickhead presents a gallery of broken human beings dealing with their anguish and addiction as best they can. Like all books by Virginie Despentes, this is a text that, due to its strong essayistic dimension, faithfully captures the heart of an era.


Translated from the French by Frank Wynne