Stupeur et Tremblements

Amélie, who spent her early childhood in Japan and speaks the language fluently, returns to Tokyo with high hopes after being hired by the prestigious Yumimoto Corporation. However, her Western individualism immediately clashes with the rigid, hierarchical corporate culture. Through a series of professional "blunders" - many of which are simply acts of initiative that are perceived as insults in the Japanese context - she begins a spectacular descent down the corporate ladder. She is demoted from translator to accountant, then to mail-sorter, and eventually to "lady of the toilets".

The book became a literary sensation, winning the Grand Prix du Roman de l’Académie Française.

Author: Amélie Nothomb

Amélie Nothomb is one of the most famous and eccentric figures in contemporary French-language literature. Nothomb is known for her disciplined and almost ritualistic approach to writing. She claims to write several novels a year, but she has published exactly one book every August since 1992.