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A review by wickedcestus
L'Assommoir (The Dram Shop) by Émile Zola
Well here we are, back in the muck of Paris with my buddy, Émile Zola.
This time, we are following Gervaise, who is probably related to someone from one of the other books, but I've completely lost track at this point. I do go back and look at a family tree each time I begin, but by the end it's all passed out of my mind again. One can assume she is from the bad side of the family, because things go pretty wickedly wrong for her in this book.
Gervaise wants to be a good mom, a good wife, a good worker. She wants to run her own laundry service! She wants her kids to eat nice food. Or any food at all, really. Her dreams are not over the top, and she is not naive in her hopes of achieving them. In fact, Gervaise seems quite a reasonable person.
So of course, things go disastrously wrong for her, over and over. This book is horribly sad, and most of the people in it act horribly. Anyone who shows any inclination to be good gets their comeuppance for it in the end. No one is happy. It's so cynical that it's kind of tiring. Sure, it is realistic that people act in this way. It might be reasonable for most people to act this way, most of the time. However, for all people to act this way, all of the time, is ludicrous.
Of course, Zola knows this. He is trying to make a point. All of his books are elaborate fables. This book's main subject is alcoholism. It is presented in extremely vivid detail. You are made to feel it deep inside of yourself. It is not a fun time.
I can't say I enjoyed this book as much as some of the others, but Zola is such a master at the things he does that he literally can not fail. His prose style is consistent and powerful. His characters are relatable and a little bit funny, if sometimes lacking in depth. He can construct a plot perfectly.
I am hoping that the series tends back towards the more fantastical elements that I enjoyed so much in La Conquête de Plassans and La Faute de l'abbé Mouret. However, I am happy with anything.
This time, we are following Gervaise, who is probably related to someone from one of the other books, but I've completely lost track at this point. I do go back and look at a family tree each time I begin, but by the end it's all passed out of my mind again. One can assume she is from the bad side of the family, because things go pretty wickedly wrong for her in this book.
Gervaise wants to be a good mom, a good wife, a good worker. She wants to run her own laundry service! She wants her kids to eat nice food. Or any food at all, really. Her dreams are not over the top, and she is not naive in her hopes of achieving them. In fact, Gervaise seems quite a reasonable person.
So of course, things go disastrously wrong for her, over and over. This book is horribly sad, and most of the people in it act horribly. Anyone who shows any inclination to be good gets their comeuppance for it in the end. No one is happy. It's so cynical that it's kind of tiring. Sure, it is realistic that people act in this way. It might be reasonable for most people to act this way, most of the time. However, for all people to act this way, all of the time, is ludicrous.
Of course, Zola knows this. He is trying to make a point. All of his books are elaborate fables. This book's main subject is alcoholism. It is presented in extremely vivid detail. You are made to feel it deep inside of yourself. It is not a fun time.
I can't say I enjoyed this book as much as some of the others, but Zola is such a master at the things he does that he literally can not fail. His prose style is consistent and powerful. His characters are relatable and a little bit funny, if sometimes lacking in depth. He can construct a plot perfectly.
I am hoping that the series tends back towards the more fantastical elements that I enjoyed so much in La Conquête de Plassans and La Faute de l'abbé Mouret. However, I am happy with anything.