First published in 1887, Paul Bourget's André Cornélis might feel like a historical novel, but its emotional core is timeless. It’s a story about a secret that changes everything.

The Story

André Cornélis is a serious, sensitive young man preparing for his law exams. His father died when he was seven, and he has been raised by his loving mother and her second husband, Monsieur Termonde. André’s life is comfortable, if a bit somber. Everything changes when his childhood nurse gives him a letter written by his father just before his death. The letter reveals his father believed he was about to be murdered. André’s world shatters. He becomes obsessed with finding the killer, and all his suspicion points to one man: his stepfather, Termonde. The rest of the book follows André’s agonizing internal investigation. He watches, he analyzes, he pieces together old memories, all while living under the same roof as his prime suspect. It’s less about dramatic chases and more about the unbearable weight of suspicion poisoning every family dinner and casual glance.

Why You Should Read It

Forget action heroes; André is a thinker, and that’s where the brilliance lies. Bourget puts us inside his head as he spirals. We feel his torment, his desperate need for justice warring with his fear of what that justice will do to his mother. The stepfather, Termonde, is no cartoon villain. He’s a complex figure, which makes André’s doubt all the more painful. Is he a killer, or is grief twisting André’s perception? The book is a masterclass in psychological tension. It’s also a sharp look at class, honor, and the different ways men and women of that era were expected to handle grief and scandal. It asks tough questions about whether some truths are better left buried.

Final Verdict

This book is perfect for readers who love classic psychological drama—think a 19th-century Rebecca or a more introspective Sherlock Holmes case where the detective’s own heart is the crime scene. If you enjoy authors like Henry James or Edith Wharton, who dissect social manners to reveal raw human emotion, you’ll find a friend in Bourget. It’s not a fast read; it’s a deep, simmering, and profoundly sad one that stays with you. You’ll read it for the mystery, but you’ll remember it for the heartbreaking portrait of a son caught between love for his father and love for the life that came after him.