The inspiration for Thérèse Raquin came from a story about a married woman who had an affair with her husband’s best friend and then plotted to murder her husband with the help of her lover. Once the murder had taken place, the lovers were free to marry but their love soon turned to hate as they blamed each other for their crime until they eventually killed
themselves leaving a signed confession behind.

Zola was fascinated by this story, which he came across when working as a journalist in 1866, and he used it as the basis to write what was to become his best-selling novel Thérèse Raquin. Seemingly a love story at the start, the dramatic brilliance of the play lies in its slow descent into the murky depths of murder, guilt and revenge.