Touché

Author: Pascalle Monnier

Translator: Cole Swenson

Publisher: Green Linden Press (2025)

Self-sardonic and often tongue-in-cheek, Touché, composed entirely of aspirations, captures something both subtle and insightful about quotidian struggle and the human spirit—to wit: its refusal to give in, even when wracked by regret, grief, and a tendency to brood. This is a portrait of a person saving herself through wry humor and complex literary allusion. In addition to its darkly uplifting attitude, Touché approaches the personal in a refreshingly impersonal way and models the art of not taking oneself too seriously.