The End of Eddy

Synopsis

Growing up in a poor village in northern France, Eddy Bellegueule learns early that survival depends on performing a version of masculinity that never comes naturally to him. Sensitive, intellectual, and visibly different, he becomes the target of relentless bullying at school and violence at home, while poverty, homophobia, and social expectations close in from every direction. As he struggles to imagine a life beyond the limits of his community, escape becomes both an act of self-preservation and a painful break from the people who shaped him.

Written with remarkable honesty and emotional precision, The End of Eddy is a searing autobiographical novel about class, identity, and the cost of becoming oneself. Édouard Louis refuses sentimentality, offering instead a clear-eyed portrait of working-class life that is as compassionate as it is unsparing. Since its publication, the novel has become an international literary phenomenon, translated into dozens of languages and establishing Louis as one of the defining voices of his generation.

About the Author

Édouard Louis is a French writer whose work explores class, violence, sexuality, and social inequality through autobiographical fiction. His acclaimed books include History of Violence, Who Killed My Father, A Woman's Battles and Transformations, Change, Monique Escapes, and Collapse. His work has been translated into more than thirty languages, making him one of the most widely read contemporary French authors. This edition is translated from the French by Michael Lucey.

Publisher

Picador

Publication Date

May 5, 2026

Format

Paperback

Pages

208

Subjects

Literary Fiction · Fiction in Translation · French Literature · Coming-of-Age · LGBTQ+ Fiction · Autofiction

ISBN

9781250449801