Thomas Hardy (1866)
I was absolutely wowed by this book, the best Hardy I’ve read yet. The plot kicks off quickly when a drunken man auctions off his wife and young child to a sailor passing through town. Years later, the now staid, sober and respected mayor of Casterbridge is revisited by his secret past with the appearance of his wife and grown daughter. What follows is the unraveling of the mayor’s life in a superbly written and gripping story.
2 Things @ Once 