Dear Dickhead

A Novel

By: Virginie Despentes, Frank Wynne - translator

Narrated by: Gina Rogers, Patrick Zeller

The French novel taking the world by storm: an ultracontemporary Dangerous Liaisons about sex, feminism, and addiction.

Oscar is a B-list novelist in his forties. He used to be an alcoholic and a cokehead, but now he keeps himself busy by ranting on social media. When Rebecca, an actress whose looks he insulted, sends him an angry email, they strike up a combative correspondence—at the very moment that Oscar is accused of sexual harassment by his former publicist. What ensues is a no-holds-barred conversation about life under the patriarchy, and above all about addiction—to drugs, to alcohol, to the internet, to rage.

Virginie Despentes, the celebrated author of King Kong Theory, has written her breakthrough book: a Dangerous Liaisons for our time. We follow Rebecca and Oscar as they develop an unlikely friendship and argue over questions of right and wrong in a city—Paris—where pleasure, excess, and freedom rule the day, or used to. Dear Dickhead is a guns-blazing novel about a culture that makes men and women sick, and about how the search for feeling leaves us addicted to what makes us feel. The result is a provocative and unmissable book from the author hailed by the Guardian as France's "rock and roll Zola."

©2022 Virginie Despentes and Editions Grasset & Fasquelle; Translation copyright 2024 by Frank Wynne (P)2025 Highbridge Audio

Undecided

It’s quite interesting to listen to both main characters grow during their correspondence. It sets during COVID, and addiction and #metoo are important topics. At times I loved the development of the conversations and was interested where it would lead. Listening to (and taking in) both sides. But then it does seem to sometimes take forever to move forward, and I couldn’t wait for it to be over - like perhaps COVID did as well.
I was undecided between 3 and 4 stars. 4 because it’s a new concept, I liked the characters and the development and those moments it opened my eyes. 3 because it was going too slow for my perhaps inpatient personality.