Fatale

Fatale
Jean-Patrick Manchette

It’s hard to shake the feeling that this short novel is an allegory of something, but of what it’s difficult to say (and that’s even with the help of capitalized road signs). Our heroine Aimée isn’t content to just épater la bourgeoisie, but instead casts herself as a full-blown gender and class warrior. While not a psychopath, she’s motivated to inflict her rough brand of summary justice on various “assholes” for what remain rather vague reasons. She doesn’t care – indeed “couldn’t care less” – about her victims’ crimes and isn’t that interested in the money she extorts from them either. A very French mix of philosophy, eroticism, and American pop culture. Funny too, in a Bride Wore Black kind of way.