Abbe Mouret's Transgression

by Émile Zola

"Abbe Mouret's Transgression" by Émile Zola is a novel published in 1875. The fifth volume in Zola's Rougon-Macquart series, it follows neurotic young priest Serge Mouret as he takes charge of a desolate Provençal parish. After a nervous breakdown leaves him with complete amnesia, Serge awakens in an overgrown estate where he meets Albine, a wild innocent girl. Together they experience an idyllic existence filled with biblical parallels, until a shocking discovery forces Serge to confront his past and faith.