On the Clock

Translated from French by Jordan Stump

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.

‘Gorgeously written, and deeply considered in its execution. Claire Baglin is an astonishing writer, and she has written a novel that captures an experience that people aren’t confronted with often enough in contemporary literature: the day-to-day reality of what it means to struggle, to get through the next shift, and most importantly, to live.’ Michael Magee

‘Vibrating with tension, On the Clock intertwines past and present and finds both darkness and humanity in the daily soulless work. A beautiful discovery.’ Elisa Shua Dusapin

‘A compelling portrait of factotum life, this masterfully executed novel shines a light on the repetitive toil of the shop floor.’ Adelle Stripe

‘Cinematic and deeply subversive . . . An angry, essential read.’ Ben Pester

‘An extraordinary novel of ordinary life, a compelling, vivid account of work and family, charged with emotion beneath its carefully described and modulated surfaces.’ David Hayden

‘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

‘Claire Baglin debuts with brilliance and great originality.’ Politis

‘A writing of a bitter and resolute precision . . . a tangible mixture of irony and muted revolt, in which social criticism ferments, alongside a denunciation of alienation.’ Télérama