Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola.

Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola.  Thérèse Raquin is Émile Zola's scandalous 1867 novel, a key work of French Naturalism, about a woman trapped in a loveless marriage who has a passionate affair with her husband's friend, leading to murder and a descent into guilt and madness. The story follows Thérèse and her lover, Laurent, as they kill her sickly husband, Camille, but are then tormented by visions and their own psychological torment, which destroys their relationship and drives them to ruin. Zola presents the characters as "human beasts" driven by instinct, using a detached, scientific approach to explore themes of lust, crime, and psychological decay.