Published in 1867, Thérèse Raquin is Emile Zola's first novel and a magnificent proto-noir thriller. All the necessary elements are here -- a hot-to-trot young wife, an invalid husband, a greedy lover – all simmered together in a Parisian stew of lust, murder, deception, debauchery, and guilt.
With the macabre ghoulishness of Poe and the diabolical desperation of Cain, Thérèse Raquin should be on any noir-lover's bookshelf.
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Thanks so much for directing me here! I loved this book, but had no idea it was Zola's first novel.
ReplyDeleteCame to your blog through Teaser Tuesday and found this while nosing around. I love this novel. It has some of the most horrific scenes I've ever read.
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