Thérèse Raquin

Émile Zola · 1840–1902 · France

Originally Thérèse Raquin (French)

Why it matters

Adultery, murder, and two 'human animals' destroyed by their own nerves: Zola's first sensation, defended with the manifesto that launched naturalism. Short, lurid, and clinically merciless.

At a glance

Short, tight, and clinical; a fast, unambiguous naturalist plot.