L'Assommoir

"L'Assommoir" by Émile Zola is a book that shows the tough life of a working-class woman in Paris during the late 1800s. The story centers around Gervaise, a laundress who dreams of a better existence for herself and her kids, but the harsh realities of poverty and a difficult society keep getting in her way. The book looks closely at the struggles of the poor, the problems that arise within families, and how the abuse of alcohol can destroy people's lives. We first meet Gervaise as she's worriedsick, waiting for her partner, Lantier, to come home; he's been cheating on her and not taking responsibility for his actions. She thinks about how hard their lives are and what it means to be a single mom with not enough money. As Gervaise watches the busy street, she sees the hard lives of other workers, and her relationship with Lantier brings out the complicated feelings of love, anger, and the need to survive in a very tough world. The book kicks off Gervaise's journey, filled with hope, but also shadowed by the challenges of her situation and the people in her life.