Born of No Woman - Paperback

by Franck Bouysse (Author), Lara Vergnaud (Translator)

The Guardian Best Translated Fiction
CrimeReads Best International Crime Novel of the Year

In this gothic tale reminiscent of Faulkner's Light in August, a young woman's journals divulge the horrible secrets of a wealthy family in late nineteenth-century rural France.

Before he is called to bless the body of a woman at the nearby asylum, Father Gabriel receives a strange, troubling confession: hidden under her dress he will find the notebooks that contain Rose's harrowing story.

At fourteen years old, Rose is sold to a rich man by her father, a farmer unable to support her and her three younger sisters. Traded for a handful of coins, she becomes the property of the master and is taken away without warning to her new home. This isolated manor that seems like a castle to Rose, with the master's formidable mother and his absent wife, immediately provokes a sense of unease. Rose soon becomes caught in their perverse web, unsure of how to escape and whom she can trust.

The English-language debut of critically acclaimed author Franck Bouysse, this exquisitely written novel is both a keen commentary on class and a chilling horror story. Deftly navigating the complexities of desire, abuse, compassion, and resilience, he has created a timeless portrait of human nature left to fester unseen.

Author Biography

Franck Bouysse was born in France in 1965. He began his writing career in 2007 after working as a biology teacher. Born of No Woman has won numerous literary prizes in France, including the Elle Readers' Grand Prize, the Booksellers' Prize, and the Prix Babelio. Born of No Woman is his first novel to be published in English.

Lara Vergnaud is a translator of prose, creative nonfiction, and scholarly works from the French. She is the recipient of two PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants and a French Voices Grand Prize, and has been nominated for the National Translation Award. She lives in Washington, DC.