To tie in with the release of a new film adaptation starring Audrey Tautou, a reissue of Fran ois Mauriac's astonishing and daring 1927 novel

Ther se Desqueyroux walks free from court, acquitted of trying to poison her husband. Everyone knew she'd tried to do it, but family honour was more important than the truth. As she travels home to the gloomy forests of Argelouse, Ther se looks back over the marriage that brought her nothing but stifling darkness, and wonders, has she really escaped punishment or is it only just about to begin?