A wonderful collection of three surreal stories from French master Émile Zola given a fresh new translation Sixty-two-year-old Louis Roubieu sees his family's long-awaited prosperity as a reward rained upon him by God for years of arduous toil on the land. Yet it is the very abundance of God's rain, initially observed from the window of their imposing farmhouse, which comes to pose a dire threat to not merely their livelihood but their very lives. Along with the complementary stories presented here, the celebrated "Blood" and "Three Wars," this is a departure from the dark realism for which Zola is more commonly known.