A gloriously fearless writer * TLS * Despentes argues compellingly about women's guilt, men's power and the way that both are still abused three decades after the supposed triumph of feminism. * Independent on Sunday * A breath of fresh air, this vehement affirmation of liberty, this cry of a woman for women * Le Monde * A darkly disturbing road-trip thriller * Diva * Acerbic and perceptive, and there is a refreshingly transgressive spirit to much of what goes on here ... Apocalypse Baby undoubtedly has a lot to say about modern France, and its depiction of the fraught nature of 21st-century living is assured and insightful. Sexual power, politics, literature, racism and violence all come under Despentes's withering gaze -- Doug Johnstone * Independent on Sunday * Acerbic and perceptive, and there is a refreshingly transgressive spirit to much of what goes on -- Doug Johnstone * Independent on Sunday * An entertaining but uneasy mix of nihilistic dash and posh-Paris satire * London Review of Books *

Virginie Despentes was born in Paris in 1969, and now lives in Barcelona. Her previous books include Les Jolie Choses, Teen Spirit, Bye Bye Blondie and King Kong Theory. She co-directed a screen adaptation of her controversial novel, Baise-Moi in 2002.