Vernon Subutex 1-3 (2015-2017)
Apocalypse bébé (2010)
Cher connard (2022)
With the Vernon Subutex trilogy Virginie Despentes – the bookcover adorned with only her last name – was catapulted into the French literary Olympus. She had already written and published many books, had won various prizes, casted and made noteworthy movies, and now, after the Subutex books, she was elected to act on the jury of the Prix Goncourt in 2016. An honor – and a lot of work. She resigned from the jury in 2020, saying her writing suffered from lack of time. From angry feminist and activist she has become very embourgeoisée, as she laconically put it in an interview with the magazine Marie Claire. This did not shut her up, thankfully, her books continuing to point at the raw places in French society (and by extension European or western), there where things go wrong. That only her last name appears on the book covers of the three Vernon Subutex volumes was an aesthetic decision, she told an interviewer. Yet more than that, Despentes was convinced that this was the main reason the books were such a success, readers mistrusting women authors. Indeed, her language is without pity, both towards the characters she portrays, their hypocrisy despite a short-lived hope for communality in volume 2, and always towards the state and its institutions. A roller coaster read.
In Part 1, we painfully follow the social decline of the title character, former record dealer Vernon Subutex. He was well-known in his neighborhood and beyond, aficionados finding gems in his store, Vernon always finding and knowing his metier. Overrun by digitalization, yet also ignoring this development and stuck in the party and drug world of his youth, Vernon first loses his store, then his social security, and finally his apartment. He is initially supported by an extensive circle of friends, but withdraws more and more, ending up on the streets as one of the many homeless people in a Paris bursting with wealth and where rents have become unaffordable for ordinary mortals. The extent to which social safety nets have been dismantled in the course of neoliberalization, even in the land of liberté, égalité et fraternité, becomes painfully clear; the socio-critical approach of the Subutex trilogy is already evident in this first volume. In terms of language and content, this first part is much harsher than the subsequent ones. And the realistic depiction of Vernon’s decline is mind boggling, showing us readers just how quickly this could happen to any of us. Quite scary.
The environment in which Vernon moves is one with a lot of sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll – artists, musicians, party people, all of whom now lead a reasonably middle-class existence, some of them thanks to an inheritance or supportive social background. But most have failed, at least on a personal level. The growing financial crisis continues to fuel existential fears. These fears and resentments can be felt in many of the characters we meet around Vernon; they may not be representative of a real-life French social spectrum, but nevertheless offer a whole range of different political positions. And they make one thing clear: modern societies, not just France, are deeply divided.
And yet Virginie Despentes creates a kind of utopia in Part 2. The bonding that takes place seems like a possible solution to the increasing isolation and rampant selfishness in the world’s metropolises. Or almost. Vernon’s friends and their friends, ultimately a whole horde of protagonists who are introduced in a list of characters at the beginning of the book from Part 2 onwards, come together in their search for Vernon, who has disappeared somewhere in Paris. They also search for mysterious tape recordings that the deceased musician Alex Bleach left behind for his friend Vernon, which appear to contain explosive material about the film producer Dopalet. Thriller elements emerge, making the book into a whodunnit for a while. The language and content become somewhat tamer, moving away from the continuous provocation in the first part. At the same time, the whole bonding scene surrounding the friends, who form a kind of commune, dancing, smoking pot, drinking, and even earning a bit of money here and there, almost becomes a little too much; it felt a bit “too good to be true” while reading, especially after the faced paced, tough first part. But the utopia Despentes presents seems worth considering, particularly in times of disintegrating families and social foundations, of reduced financial possibilities in a world, where family background is often more influential than a degree and experience. Forming one’s own groups – Despentes calls them “gangs” – which support each other, their members also coming from completely different social milieus or points of view, might just be a solution to this increasing “no future” feeling.
Then volume 3 brings the group of dropouts to a sober end. Virginie Despentes was writing this last part when the terrible attacks of 2015/16 shook France and the world. Charlie Hebdo, Bataclan, later Nice – the terrible violence that erupted there, the resulting deep insecurity of the people, the helplessness about what to do next, are reflected in the novel.
Allow me a small deviation to introduce 2 books dealing with the terrorist attacks in France:
Luz is survivor by pure luck of the terrorist attack on the Charlie Hebdo office. There his colleagues, with whom he had worked for over 20 years, were shot dead. Luz has worked through his pain and grief in a graphic novel, Indélébiles (2018). It is time this story were drawn, he remarked in an interview, enough having been written and said about it. The book is deeply moving, funny, enraging, sad, and pure anguished pleasure to read and look at.
Emmanuel Carrère followed the court hearings and spoke with survivors and parents/friends of young people massacred during a live concert at the Bataclan club. The cynisism of most of the terrorists, many of whom were simply bored young men with nothing better to do, is, again, enraging. And reading how parents, friends, and spouses deal with their loss and helplessness I found humbling, their courage inspiring despite the horror of what they are going through.
Back to Vernon Subutex. The group around Vernon, which has started to come together more or less loosely for so-called convergences, raves at changing locations, allowing for short respites from the depressing reality, is also increasingly disbanding. One day, Vernon, who had always put together the perfect playlist and acted as the professional DJ he in reality is, had had enough. He just got up and left the group. This was preceded by disputes over the inheritance of Charles, a former homeless man who had joined the gang and left them half of a secret lottery win of millions after his death. Friction and mistrust arise not only with his widow Véro, but also within the group. The group falls apart more and more. In addition, film producer Dopalet still has a score to settle with them, especially with the girls Aïcha and Céleste, who have gone into hiding. The apocalyptic shadows cast by the terrorist attacks, which are further darkened by the repeated mention of the death of music idol David Bowie, do not bode well.
Still raw and ruthless, but no longer as provocative as in Part 1, and always with this loving connection to her protagonists, Despentes leads us towards an apocalyptic end. Before that, there are many fast-paced twists. And on the last six pages, the author takes us all the way to the year 2286... I felt a bit let down by the ending, which, nevertheless, might be read as that there is hope in spite of all the crassness we humans are capable of. The way Despentes draws the reader in, with realistic characters, doing things despicable and friendly, banal, and silly. I could relate to most of them in some way, which made these books an enjoyable and fun read.
Cher connard
The story is written in the form of texts posted on social media and email, between two people who know of each other without really knowing the other. It is fascinating to follow the two protagonists, who start out writing to each other only to insult, despising each other, and gradually coming around to an almost amicable understanding. “I read what you posted on your Insta account. You’re like a pigeon that shat on my shoulder as I passed by. It's messy, and very unpleasant. Wah wah wah I’m a little weirdo who is of no interest to anyone and I squeal like a Chihuahua because I dream of being noticed. Glory to social networks: you’ve had your 15 minutes of fame. The proof: I’m writing to you.” At first, this is the tone, both writers trying to outdo the other with personal, hurtful, below the belt insinuations. I learned a lot of new
After her Vernon Subutex trilogy, Virginie Despentes returns with these ultra-contemporary Dangerous Liaisons, a novel of rage and consolation, anger and acceptance, where friendship transcends human weaknesses.