A review by bookishwendy
Germinal by Émile Zola
4.0
Bleak, epic, surprisingly graphic (not for Zola, but for the era in general), gripping, this one may require a tissue handy at times. In this 1885 novel about the plight of a impoverished miners who go on strike, class struggle ultimately takes a back seat to the ravages of Mother Nature (who has been ravished and abused herself).
The story follows Etienne, a young engineer seeking work at the mines after being sacked for hitting his boss. A (relatively) educated man, he convinces his fellow miners of the unfairness of recent wage cuts, only to be drawn deep into the rage and violence of a mindless mob. He befriends Catherine, a mine worker so stunted and undernourished Etienne mistakes her for a boy, and finds lodging under the roof of Catherine's large, undernourished family. The horrific miners' life is contrasted by glimpses into the houses of the upper-middle class mine managers and their families, who, while disconnected from the plight of the workers, are not portrayed as unsympathetic villains either (nor do the the striking miners come across as being all sympathetic victims).
For a novel about a socialist miner's strike, I expected Germinal to be more politically preachy than it is. Zola draws up complex characters and lets the interactive drama and high emotions carry the story, not rhetoric. The memorable moments are many: the pit pony galloping through the underground tunnels searching for the sun, hungry children torturing a pregnant rabbit, a man torn to pieces by the striking mob, the raw sexuality between the men and women who work side by side on the coalface.
The story follows Etienne, a young engineer seeking work at the mines after being sacked for hitting his boss. A (relatively) educated man, he convinces his fellow miners of the unfairness of recent wage cuts, only to be drawn deep into the rage and violence of a mindless mob. He befriends Catherine, a mine worker so stunted and undernourished Etienne mistakes her for a boy, and finds lodging under the roof of Catherine's large, undernourished family. The horrific miners' life is contrasted by glimpses into the houses of the upper-middle class mine managers and their families, who, while disconnected from the plight of the workers, are not portrayed as unsympathetic villains either (nor do the the striking miners come across as being all sympathetic victims).
For a novel about a socialist miner's strike, I expected Germinal to be more politically preachy than it is. Zola draws up complex characters and lets the interactive drama and high emotions carry the story, not rhetoric. The memorable moments are many: the pit pony galloping through the underground tunnels searching for the sun, hungry children torturing a pregnant rabbit, a man torn to pieces by the striking mob, the raw sexuality between the men and women who work side by side on the coalface.