Immerse yourself in the world of Florent Quenu, a man wrongly accused of plotting to overthrow the French government and exiled from his beloved Paris. As he makes his way back home, Quenu envelopes us a richly detailed commentary on food and social class, or what he calls “the fat and the thin.” Zola’s masterpiece is just as thrilling as it is educational, and the succulent descriptions of food on nearly every page will make you hungry for more.