A voice-driven, penetrating novel of the exploitation and alienation of the working class.

In one strand, a young family bumps and scrapes through life. The hapless father balances demanding factory shiftwork, while the mother constantly prioritises the needs of others over her own. But there is also happiness: a trip to the seaside; sibling squabbles, games and laughter; tenderness and support. In another strand, a young woman describes her days working in a burger chain. It is exhausting, repetitive labour, too often peopled by tricky customers and even trickier managers. Hours pass. Days, weeks, years. It is an existence that marks the body and mind and governs a life.

What emerges, alive with eloquent detail, is a compelling exploration of social inequality. Writing with nimble nuance, a sly, subtle wit, and a sharp ear, Claire Baglin marks her debut in On the Clock as a blazingly original talent.

‘A sophisticated new voice exploring the French working-class experience and the ways in which language may express its precarious specificities.’ Times Literary Supplement

‘Remarkably masterful.’ Le Monde

‘A virtuoso debut on alienation through work and the pain of the working class . . . an admirable writing of strength and precision, with a fierce anger simmering below.’ Livres Hebdo

‘Vibrating with tension… a beautiful discovery.’ Elisa Shua Dusapin