A review by paulataua
The Death of Olivier Becaille by Émile Zola

3.0

I’ve been thinking of going back and reading some Zola for quite a long time , and chose this short story because I wasn’t ready to tackle 600 pages of ‘Germinal’ or ‘La Bête Humaine’ just now. ‘The Death of Olivier Becaille’ is a premature burial story in a naturalist style and works on that level. We are what natural forces made us. I feel I lean more to a realist position but enjoyed, if enjoyed is really the right word, the story as told.