The final book in the Vernon Subutex trilogy probes the same social ills as its predecessors, with a fresh dose of cynicism and biting wit. Virginie Despentes's conclusion finds Vernon, a former record-store owner, as the reluctant, taciturn leader of a cult commune in Paris's Buttes-Chaumont. As they lament the loss of their youth and push back against a declining future for which they are partially responsible, the Subutex Group partakes in a series of rave-like events, called convergences, which gain a mythical reputation around Paris. But when a deceased former member leaves behind a large fortune, cracks begin to show in the commune's united façade, and a series of chaotic, violent actions threaten to break the group apart forever.
Setting her novel around the Charlie Hebdo shooting and the Bataclan attack, Despentes (King Kong Theory; Bye Bye Blondie) probes a city in fear: of change, of violence, of stagnancy. Radicals and reactionaries, the secular and the hyper-religious, racists, misogynists and feminists scorn modern-day society, but remain split on how to patch it up. Pure intentions are exploited by the truly villainous: a psychotic music manager willing to do anything for money, a predatory film producer capitalizing on rampant bloodshed. Despentes's talent is her ability to examine the world as it is--the violence, the ugliness, the blights--without losing a certain wicked humor. Frank Wynne's translation from the French is sublime, flowing from one event to the next without pause for a breath. Despentes refuses to sugarcoat or ignore the most gruesome bits of contemporary culture, tackling class, sex, race and politics with a refreshing, contrarian fervor. --Simone Woronoff, freelance writer and reviewer