Against the Grain by Joris-Karl Huysmans, Fiction, Classics, Literary, Action & Adventure, Romance

The story centers on Jean des Esseintes, an eccentric and reclusive aesthete who rejects the norms of 19th-century bourgeois society. His journey is a deep exploration of his tastes and inner life as he seeks to escape into a self-fashioned artistic realm. This narrative delves into his antiheroic qualities and the complexities of his character, highlighting his disdain for contemporary society while revealing his unique artistic vision.