An extract from There's a Monster Behind the Door by Gaëlle Bélem, translated by Karen Fleetwood and Laëtitia Saint-Loubert
In 1980s’ Réunion, monsters lurk beneath the surface of vibrant island life, ready to pounce at the slightest disturbance
Karen Fleetwood
Karen Fleetwood is a literary translator based in Scotland
Fleetwood’s previous work includes English translations of Jules Verne’s Le Rayon vert (2009) and Les Forceurs de blocus (2011), both from Luath Press. Originally from Sheffield, she lives and works in Scotland. Together with Laëtitia Saint-Loubert she is the translator of There’s a Monster Behind the Door by Gaëlle Bélem, which was longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025.
In prose that throbs with verve, humour and pain, this story set on the island of Réunion brings to life a narrator beset with the history of her family and her people
— The 2025 judges on There's a Monster Behind the Door
All nominated books
In 1980s’ Réunion, monsters lurk beneath the surface of vibrant island life, ready to pounce at the slightest disturbance
By Gaëlle Bélem
Translated by Karen Fleetwood Laëtitia Saint-Loubert
