Eric Reinhardt

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The Victoria System

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Erotic, raw, violent and vertiginous . . . We often accuse French writers of navel-gazing and ignoring the world around them, but Eric Reinhardt is one of those who gives the lie to this cliché

Bold, arresting, accomplished, complex, sensual, sexual, intriguing, heady

An ambitious and tragic novel which weaves together sex, power games and imagination. An ultracontemporary anti-fairy tale

Part classic, part tragedy, part thriller: Eric Reinhardt merges genres and invokes elusive echoes in this highly contemporary novel of a rare depth

Finally, a sexy book written by someone who would appear to have had sex

Those who harp on about the decline or end of literature in France, stuck in its formalism, nihilism or narcissism, are advised to read The Victoria System. It will give them a good wake-up slap

A fantastic and sensual modern thriller, like nothing I've ever read

Ambitious, complex, sparkling, to be devoured in one sitting

Reinhardt is a fine and subtle psychologist . . . with a keen eye for the perverse ways in which capitalism exploits all levels of society and leaves behind smoking ruins. Anyone who begins this book will not quickly put it down

David Kolski is in charge of the construction of a huge Paris tower block, and the pressure is crushing him. 
 
But then he meets Victoria - a high-powered and ruthless executive by day and insatiable sensualist by night. David's hard-headed new lover gives him a new sense of purpose and renewed energy, but when she offers to use her position to help him in his career, a shadow falls over their affair. Is she capable of helping anyone other than herself? And who are the men in the Audi he keeps seeing, always a few cars behind him?

The Victoria System is Eric Reinhardt's novel of sex, power, capitalism and deception. 
 
LONGLISTED FOR THE IMPAC DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD. 
 
SHORTLISTED FOR THE PRIX RENAUDOT, THE PRIX GONCOURT AND THE GRAND PRIX DU ROMAN DE L'ACADEMIE FRANCAISE 
 
David Kolski is overseeing the construction of the largest tower in Paris. A highly stressful job with numerous complications, it keeps him from his wife and children. Then, by chance, he encounters Victoria de Winter. 
 
Victoria is a ruthless high-flyer who knows what she wants and always gets it. She shows David a luxurious life of decadence and desire, and together they explore the limits of who they are and what they want. 
 
At the same time, David finds he is more driven at work. He seems to be a better, more complete man. Yet he has doubts. What kind of dark, a-moral world is Victoria leading him into? Can he really trust her? Can he even trust his own perceptions any more - or is the intense pressure turning him paranoid? 
 
And should you, the reader, trust his account? 
 
'Erotic, raw, violent and vertiginous . . . We often accuse French writers of navel-gazing and ignoring the world around them, but Eric Reinhardt is one of those who gives the lie to this cliché' Emmanuel Carrère, author of Limonov 
 
'Bold, arresting, accomplished, complex, sensual, sexual, intriguing, heady' Le Monde 
 
'An ambitious and tragic novel which weaves together sex, power games and imagination. An ultracontemporary anti-fairy tale' Les Inrocktibles 
 
'Finally, a sexy book by someone who appears to have had sex' Dazed and Confused

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