Dear Dickhead

Virginie Despentes

  • First published 2022
  • 304 pages
  • English
An aging actress and a disgraced writer begin an unlikely correspondence after he publicly insults her on social media. Rebecca, an icon of seduction now facing the realities of her fifties, and Oscar, a novelist accused of sexual harassment, have nothing in common except a shared history of addiction and a profound disillusionment with the modern world. Their initial exchange is hostile, fueled by anger and public pressure in a post-MeToo landscape. But as they trade insults and confessions, their letters evolve into a raw and unfiltered dialogue about feminism, cancel culture, dependency, and the strange complexities of human connection.

What starts as a confrontation born of rage unexpectedly transforms into a fragile friendship, a lifeline for two people navigating their personal and public demons. This epistolary novel chronicles their journey, along with the perspective of the young feminist who first accused Oscar, creating a portrait of contemporary society in all its fractured, contradictory, and vulnerable states. It is a story that explores whether dialogue can bridge the deepest divides and if friendship can emerge from the most toxic of beginnings, forcing a look at the anger and acceptance that define our times.
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This edition
Picador, 2025
ISBN
9781250397669
Language
English
Original edition Originally published in 2022 · French · GRASSET

Other editions (41)