In her first novel Explosives, journalist Hélène Coutard immerses readers in the thoughts and daily life of Clara, a 19-year-old “average girl” who has recently moved to Paris from a city in the South-West. As a student seeking new references, Clara gradually radicalizes, through seemingly insignificant events, eventually joining a group promoting violence.
This coming-of-age novel brings to life a rare heroine in literature, cinema, or art: an “average girl”, described by Virginie Despentes as “ugly” in King Kong Theory – an ordinary young woman, “who is nothing exceptional and suffers because of it”.
Throughout the novel, Hélène Coutard weaves around Clara a gallery of female characters of various ages and backgrounds, united by a common anger. As the story progresses, it shifts towards a thriller depicting the actions of a group of radical feminists, inspired by the German collective “Rote Zora”. These determined women seek to overthrow the established order of patriarchy, not hesitating to resort to armed violence.
Explosives by Hélène Coutard is published by Grasset.
