The Village Rector

Veronique Graslin is a woman of strength. Despite being scarred by smallpox at 11, and then railroaded into a miserable marriage with a man who resembles an "antique satyr", she builds a life of wealth and good works in the French countryside. But, nibbling away at her conscience like a persistent rat, there is a dark secret that will not let her go. After Veronique encounters two criminals, as well as Monsieur Bonnet, the insightful rector, she feels that her soul is being "ploughed". Balzac's novel mixes the spiritual with the political, exposing rural injustice, and railing against the horrific conditions endured by criminals on the French galleys. All the time, he tiptoes toward the big reveal: what is Veronique's secret? If you like 'Bleak House' by Charles Dickens and 'Les Miserables' by Victor Hugo, you will enjoy 'The Village Rector'.