Thérèse Raquin (Émile Zola) - Book Review

Is there a moral boundary that cannot be crossed, even by those who act unthinkingly?

'Thérèse Raquin' by Émile Zola is a simple story with only four main characters. Set in 19th century Paris, it tells of passion, betrayal, murder, deception and ultimately, accountability. Zola wrote the book in a literary style known as 'Naturalistic'. In the preface he expressly states that he was interested in the temperaments of the personas, rather than their characters. By this he explores how humans would behave in an extreme situation, where free will plays very little part.

I summarised the book as follows. "Overall it is gloomy and sad but manages to be very entertaining, even riveting at points. The simple plot and sparse use of characters makes it flow superbly, without the reader needing to backtrack and reconfirm previous passages. The descriptions of old grimy working-class Paris spring into the mind clearly. It prompts questions of unendurable suffering, the acceptability of suicide and how the sub-conscience interacts with morality. A fine read!"

I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!

Timeline:
(0:00) - Synopsis
(1:58) - Is there a boundary point/line that cannot be crossed?
(6:19) - Suicide and living a life not worth living
(8:12) - Personal Observations
(14:26) - Summary
(14:57) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Use Google street view
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