"Virginie Despentes's Apocalypse Baby kept me up several nights in a row—in part because it's a terrific page-turner, and in part because I was anxious to see how Despentes would sustain her narrative ride. Apocalypse Baby is more than a compelling punk, queerish spin on the noir genre. It is a choral performance that tumbles its readers into the heart of violent spectacle, with all its attendant grief, unease, and unclarity."—Maggie Nelson, author of The Art of Cruelty and professor at the California Institute of the Arts
"Virginie Despentes's social criticism is blistering, but her prose is laid-back. Apocalypse Baby is an addictive feminist thriller that reads like shameless gossip from your smartest friend."—Johanna Fateman
Apocalypse Baby is a smart, fast-paced mystery about a missing adolescent girl traveling through Paris and Barcelona. She is tailed by two mismatched private investigators: the Hyena, part ruthless interrogator, part oversexed rock star, and Lucie, her plain and passive—almost to the point of invisible—sidekick. As their desperate search unfolds, they interrogate a suspicious cast of characters, and the dark heart of contemporary youth culture is exposed.
Cult author and filmmaker Virginie Despentes has written many award-winning books, including King Kong Theory, and Apocalypse Baby, which won the 2010 Prix Renaudot when it was first published in France. She is the co-director of the screen adaptations of her controversial novels Baise-Moi and Bye Bye Blondie.