A review by aaronwhite
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo

3.0

This is a miserable, depressing story. I love Hugo’s writing, and Les Miserables is one of my favourite books, but Hunchback is not a story to inspire any hope or joy. It is set in a brutal time, when life is cheap and executions seem to happen upon a whim. Superstition reigns and innocent girls are denounced as witches. Men treat women abhorrently, and one archdeacon in particular is a model for all the incels of today - “Love me, can’t you see I’m burning with pain for you? If you won’t love me I’ll die…No! I’ll kill you!” Even La Esmerelda is constantly deceived and seals her own sad fate through an infatuation with a heartless man. She is not to blame for her innocence and credulity, but it is still maddening to read. Quasimodo is a sympathetic character, but even he acts wrongly on most occasions and makes things worse through his zeal. I did not love this book, beautifully written as it is.