The Mayor of Casterbridge

In a drunken stupor, protagonist Michael Henchard mistakenly sells his wife and child to a sailor. Eighteen years later, secrets and lies threaten the protagonist's well-off lifestyle as mayor.

The return of his family, the arrival of former lovers, and secrets surrounding that day nearly two decades ago all converge on the town of Casterbridge, forcing Michael to confront his past and his own nature.

Perhaps most famous for his novels Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) and Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891), Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) remains worth the read for its comic intrigue and insightful discussion of human character.