The novel revolves around the lives of a group of working-class individuals living in the Belleville neighborhood of Paris. The story centers on Gervaise Macquart, a young woman who moves to Paris with her lover Lantier and their two children. They settle into a rundown apartment in a tenement building, where they struggle to make ends meet. As the novel progresses, Gervaise's life begins to unravel as she faces poverty, illness, and abandonment by her lover. The novel explores themes of social inequality, poverty, and the struggles of working-class people in late 19th-century France.
By Émile Zola · First published 1877 · Genre: Naturalism, Realism, Drama · 13 chapters