'Debre's voice is Camusian, comic, stark, relentless and totally hypnotic' Rachel Kushner Is a criminal born or made? What turns them towards violence? A young man stabs an elderly woman ten times for the sake of a 450 euro debt. But why would he commit such a brutal murder over a petty sum, when he has a girlfriend and a child at home? How much could he lose when there is already so little to start with? Centring on a perpetrator and a victim who remain nameless - who are nobodies but could be anybody - Offenses unfolds as a contemporary parable exploring the biases and barriers built into the legal system. Blending expertise in criminal law with her signature knife-edge prose, Constance Debre probes the intricacies of crime, punishment and accountability in this propulsive tale.

A sharp insight into violence and punishment based on true events from critically acclaimed lawyer-turned-author Constance Debre

About the Author
Constance Debre is the author of Love Me Tender, which won the Prix Litteraire des Inrockuptibles in 2020, Playboy, which won the Prix de la Coupole in 2018, and Name.

Reviews
Deft and rigorous * AnOther Magazine, Best Books 2026 *
Praise for Constance Debre: Sharply observed, cool, and unbiased in its assessment of human folly * New York Review of Books *
Annie Ernaux, just edgier. Her prose is gorgeously spare and practical * Irish Independent *



Book Information
ISBN 9781805221081
Author Constance Debre
Format Paperback
Page Count 96
Imprint Tuskar Rock
Publisher Profile Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 100g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 126mm * 18mm