"Thérèse Raquin" tells the story of a young woman, unhappily married to her first cousin by an overbearing aunt who may seem to be well-intentioned but in many ways is deeply selfish. Thérèse's husband, Camille, is sickly and egocentric, and when the opportunity arises, Thérèse enters into a turbulent and sordidly passionate affair with one of Camille's friends, Laurent.

Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola (2 April 1840 – 29 September 1902) was a French novelist, playwright, journalist, the most well-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism.

Translated and edited with a preface by Edward Vizetelly (1820-1894)