A review by pascalthehoff
The Drinking Den by Émile Zola

dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Basically a proto-feminist novel. The female protagonist, despite her best efforts, is dragged down by her drinking male companions. Addiction is presented as a systemic temptation that afflicts the male working class. The women in their lives – no matter how hardworking and resourceful – have no way of escaping the patriarchal power structures, even if that patriarchy is utterly wasted. They are bled dry, first financially and then physically, by their husbands, fathers and male peers. 

 

The portrayal of alcoholism in L’Assommoir is relentless – in a way that is rarely seen even in similar literature on the subject. There is not a single instance in which drinking is portrayed as fun or pleasurable. Alcohol is the devil in this novel, and the reader is the only person at the party who remains sober.