France Théoret holds a doctorate in French Studies from the University of Sherbrooke. After nineteen years of teaching, she quit to devote herself full-time to writing. Laurence, translated for The Mercury Press by Gail Scott, is Théoret’s eleventh book; previous titles include The Man Who Painted Stalin, Nous parlerons comme on écrit, Nécessairement putain, and Entre raison et déraison.