Dear Dickhead

A movie star and a disgruntled writer engage in an epic war of words in the brash and provocative latest from Despentes (Apocalypse Baby), set during the Covid-19 lockdown in France. Rebecca Latte, a legendary sex symbol who’s now pushing 50, gets called a “wrinkled toad” in a vicious Instagram post by novelist Oscar Jayack, prompting her to clap back hard (“I hope your kids die under the wheels of a truck”). The heated exchange, which forms the entirety of the novel, sprawls from typical keyboard-warrior retorts into each character’s personal history. It turns out Oscar’s older sister, Corinne, was Rebecca’s best friend when the women were teens, and Oscar fills Rebecca in on Corinne’s life after the women grew apart, including Corinne’s coming out as a lesbian. As Oscar and Rebecca share with each other, they examine their battles with addiction (Oscar laments losing his “best self” now that he’s quit drinking, and Rebecca notes how heroin lost its positive effect on her). Despentes also slips in the voice of Oscar’s PR agent, Zoe Katana, who vehemently accuses him of sexual harassment, adding to the riveting exploration of feminism and sexism, and revealing how argumentative communication can bring its participants onto common ground. Readers will be awed. (Sept.)