For fans of The Handmaid’s Tale and Vox, Sophie Loubière offers a new vision of what the future looks like for women…

Nord-Pas-de-Calais, 2224. Moving away from hyper-connectivity, of which they have only retained the essential tools in the scientific and medical fields, men have rebuilt villages organized in self-sufficiency. Preserving water, protecting yourself from a torrid sun, maintaining balance in all things: such is the credo of this peaceful world, where even moods are moderated thanks to a hormonal bracelet assigned to each person at puberty.

However, it is a civilization that is dying. To fight against infertility, the Chamber of Governance imposed a drastic rule: the Great Recycling of women aged 50, sent to the Hautes Plaines, and replaced within their home by a younger, newer, more fertile model.

At 49, Rachel is getting ready; she and her friends received their letters. Since they did not choose assisted suicide which is the alternative to being recycled, they will be sent for recycling in a few days. This is how the world goes, Rachel accepts it, even if no one knows what awaits these women once they are sent away. For her husband Keen and their children, this upcoming departure is a terrifying ordeal.

Not to mention that another incident tarnishes this moment: the bodies of three little girls were found in the cliffs. After more than a century without any crime, the authorities are in the process of covering up the affair. Serene in the storm, proud and fearless in the face of this unknown destiny that threatens her, Rachel is still unaware of it, but in this world in disarray, she will soon have a major role to play…

Journalist and novelist, Sophie Loubière has long divided her professional life between writing and radio. She is the author of several novels including L’Enfant aux cailloux (Fleuve Noir, 2011), a psychological thriller which earned her international fame – translated in nearly twenty countries, the novel received five literary awards. Her talent was confirmed in 2020 with Cinq Cartes Brûlées, winner of the Landerneau Polar Prize, and De Cendres et de larmes, in 2021, both published by Fleuve Noir. Obsolète is her first novel to be published by Belfond.