The Monroe Girls

Synopsis

Breton has seen brighter days. Now his body sags as he pulls a pair of binoculars to his withered face. He peers from the grimy window of a near-empty psychiatric compound—one of the last buildings standing after an unspecified disaster—spying rue Dellwo below, dreary in perpetual rain.

Into this world of devastation drop the Monroe girls—paramilitaries trained in the “dark place” by Monroe, a dissident executed long ago. Their mission to revamp the Party is futile in this bleak, decaying world. Breton, our narrator, is tasked and tortured by what remains of the Party to locate and identify the Monroe girls using special optical equipment and his powers of extrasensory perception.

Breton’s journey through a bardo-like, hostile labyrinth invites us into a sensual swirl of bodily decay, political acquiescence, and civilizational collapse. In this derelict setting, Volodine ruminates on identity, surveillance, life after death, and love. An urgent and blistering tale, beautifully rendered with Volodine’s distinct pathos and humor.

About the Author

Antoine Volodine is a French writer known for his distinctive body of work exploring post-apocalyptic worlds, political dissidence, dreams, death, and the boundaries between reality and fiction. He is the author of numerous novels and writes under several pseudonyms, developing what he calls “post-exotic” literature.

About the Translator

Alyson Waters is a translator from French whose work includes contemporary fiction, literary criticism, and philosophy. She has translated works by numerous French-language authors and has received several awards and grants for her translations.

Publisher

Archipelago Books

Publication Date

March 17, 2026

Format

Paperback

Pages

278

Subjects

Literary Fiction · Fiction in Translation · French Literature · Dystopian Fiction · Apocalyptic Fiction · Science Fiction

ISBN

9781962770552