Building on my PhD project, this paper explores fidelity challenges in the transfer of verb-nominal collocations (VNC) in the Italian translations of seven of Michel Houellebecq’s novels. I examine various kinds of infidelity, such as omissions, errors, incongruence in constituent transmission, incoherence in recurrent VNC transmission, and infidelity at the level of phraseological coverage. The accurate transfer of collocations is crucial for preserving the style and the vibrancy of the source text. Errors, omissions, and unjustified transformations in the target language speak to the complexity of the translation process. My analysis explains the multifaceted nature of collocations and contributes to a nuanced understanding of their role in literary translation.