Superstars

A wild music scene and an illicit affair propel Scott’s entrancing English-language debut, which was originally published in France in 2000. In 1990s Paris, 31-year-old Louise has spent a year hanging out with a group of queer 20-something women who are fixtures in the city’s techno scene, including her roommate Pallas, with whom she occasionally hooks up, and well-known DJ Alex, her ex-girlfriend. Perpetually broke, drifting between clubs, raves, and lovers, sometimes in a drug-fueled haze, Louise sees a chance at a different kind of future when she lands a major record deal that gives her enough money and time to break free from her close-knit circle and make her own music, “an electro record with lots of rock in it.” But leaving the techno world behind is difficult, in part because of Alex’s current girlfriend, Inès, a seductive student with a serious drug habit and a serious crush on Louise. There is also the pull of Louise’s ex-boyfriend Nikki, a rocker and former heroin user. As Louise careens between these choices, Scott’s addictive narrative offers a kaleidoscopic look at a lively milieu and a woman’s struggle to overcome heartbreak and obsession, and make a life for herself as an artist. Readers will be thrilled. Agent: Alex Reubert, HG Literary. (Apr.)