Book for molesters
The week's news at a glance.
Paris
A novel told from the viewpoint of a child molester and murderer has been withdrawn by its publisher amid a national argument about freedom of speech versus obscenity. The novel, Rose Bonbon, by Nicolas Jones-Gorlin, is narrated by a pedophile who describes abusing and killing young girls. The author says his book “demonstrates the complacency that surrounds pedophilia,” and defends it as a “critique of society.” But children’s groups complained angrily about what they called pornographic content, and the French publisher Gallimard had to suspend distribution. Other groups, including France’s Human Rights League, said that denying writers the right to describe society’s ills was an attack on their freedom of creativity.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How global conflicts are reshaping flight paths
Under the Radar Airlines are having to take longer and convoluted routes to avoid conflict zones
-
Zohran Mamdani: the young progressive likely to be New York City's next mayor
In The Spotlight The policies and experience that led to his meteoric rise
-
The best film reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Creativity and imagination are often required to breathe fresh life into old material