Nothomb's first novel, "Hygiène de l'assassin", was published in 1992. Since then, she has published about one novel per year, including "Les Catilinaires" (1995), "Fear and Trembling" (1999) and "Métaphysique des tubes" (2000, published in English as "The Character of Rain"). She has been awarded many prizes, including the 1999 Grand Prix du roman de l'Académie française, the Prix René-Fallet, and the 1993 Prix Alain-Fournier.