Thanks to our guest reviewer, Kenny Campbell.
“I was familiar with Zola’s later career, and knew of this tale purely
through its mentions in other cultural arenas. It was a surprise to read
a different style of Zola and what a tale! An unhealthy family situation
descends into a story of psychological breakdown and murder. Paris
and the alleyway where the action mainly takes place are beautifully
evoked. The characters are sparingly drawn, verging on cliché at times
but this is effective: it allowed this reader to create a lasting image of
his own of these people.
A sparsely drawn and clearly early work of Zola’s, with occasional forays
into hyperbole later on as the story reaches it’s awful conclusion, and
his overriding typical fascination with the nature/nurture debate. There
is a clear foreshadowing of Poe and Wilde in this fatalistic tale, and it
echoes the early gothic horror tradition. Once read, the protagonists of
this inescapable descent into terror will never leave you. Don’t have
nightmares.”
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