A even-more-than-usually brilliant episode of Backlisted today, discussing one of my favourite novel, Thérèse Raquin by Emile Zola, an immersively nasty story that keeps getting more and more horrific but is never not compelling. https://twitter.com/BacklistedPod/status/1305396135457153024

A book that was so controversial, its first review had this deathless title...

...and claimed that reading it was like lying beneath the slabs of the morgue and feeling the run-off water that comes from washing the corpse splashing over your face...

The discussion touches on its operatic emotions, Zola's superb way with an adjective, the book's ooziness, what in the book urges people to adapt it, its sexiness and its anti-sexiness - about which they (and Angus Wilson) are exactly right, I think.

(Zola was a great opponent of non-procreative sex. A friend told the story of them having a drink one Saturday evening when Zola fell quiet, gazing through the window. 'What wrong, Emile?', 'Oh I was just thinking about all the sperm going to waste tonight' Zola explained sadly.)

Great discussions, with some great clips. Glad to hear the love for the 2014 music theatre adaptation, which I saw and though was unexpectedly brilliant and captured everything overheated and claustrophobic and grand about the book. Great episode.