Thérèse Raquin

Whenever I finish a novel, I partake in one of two very strange customs. If I really enjoyed the book, I kiss the front cover in homage to the author for allowing me to experience such a wonderful story. If I was really despised the book, I throw the unworthy tome across the room. (And since I get very emotionally involved with stories, I really don't have an inbetween). And I'm sure from the picture below you can surmise what the end result was from my reading of Thérèse Raquin by Emile Zola.

This novel had a lot of potential. It's a French novel about two lovers, Thérèse and Laurent, who kill the one person in the way of their affair, Thérèse's husband Camille. The book is really interesting up until they commit the murder, which happens around page 70 or so. The next set of 124 pages is just one long and torturous anticlimax. Basically repetitive descriptions of the guilt and endless torment suffered by Thérèse and Laurent that go on and on and on. Also, Zola seems to love delving into the grotesque and he describes dead bodies in great detail. The one scene that really grossed me out was when Laurent visits an open Morgue in which unidentified bodies are on display behind glass. The bodies are laid out on slabs of stone with cold water running over them constantly to inhibit the process of decay. End result? Bits falling off. Eww! If you really want to take a crack at this book, I highly recommend reading through chapter 13 and stopping. By that point, you will have already read all the best parts of the novel (including the Morgue scene). Then just satisfy yourself by knowing that they don't live happily ever after.