(Reviewed by JD Jung)
“Thérèse, residing in damp obscurity, in gloomy, crushing silence, saw life expand before her in all its nakedness, each night bringing the same cold couch, and each morn the same empty day.”
“But inwardly, she lived a burning, passionate existence. When alone on the grass beside the water, she would lie down flat on her stomach like an animal, her black eyes wide open, her body writhing, ready to spring.”
Excerpts from Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola
Sarah Rock, unhappily married with children off at boarding school, is obsessed with the nineteenth-century French novel, Thérèse Raquin. One day, sitting on a park bench—lonely as usual– with the book at her side, she is approached by a handsome stranger who takes an interest in the novel…and in her.
She, in turn, becomes obsessed with him. What then ensues is a whirlwind of events in which lines between reality and fantasy are blurred.
As I read, I thought I had this thriller all figured out. I kept with it anyway, as I was still fascinated with the story’s progression and characters. As I approached the second half of the book, I was sure of my theory. However as subsequent events unfolded, I had to change my hypothesis. I then had multiple ideas on how this would conclude. It wasn’t until the very end of the book that it was all revealed. As you can probably guess, I was wrong.
In addition to the authors throwing off the reader, I enjoyed the structure of the novel. Each chapter is preceded by an excerpt from this classic novel, Thérèse Raquin, and shows how it relates to Sarah at a specific moment in time. Some chapters consist of her therapist’s notes and some are solely based on Sarah’s perceptions of her life.
This exciting novel is luring me to read the English translation of Thérèse Raquin. Whether that will apply to others, I can’t say. What I will say is that readers who enjoy psychological thrillers are sure to love the tantalizing The Woman in the Park.
