Babylon

Translated by Linda Asher
Winner of the Prix Renaudot
Shortlisted for the Prix Goncourt

Elisabeth is a woman whose curiosity and passion far exceed the borders of her quiet middle-class life. She befriends a neighbor, organizes a small dinner party, and then, quite suddenly, finds herself embarked with him on an adventure that is one part vaudeville and one part high tragedy. Reza's quiet novel of manners turns into a police procedural thriller. Elisabeth's motivations for risking everything she has are never transparent. In a world where matters of life and death are nearly always transported to a clinical setting, whether it be a hospital or a courtroom, here each character must confront them unassisted. Truly original and absorbing, Babylon is a masterful novel from one of the world’s most inventive and daring artists, playwright/novelist Yasmina Reza.