The plot was laid out for me right on the jacket, and I knew exactly what was going to happen, and still - geddamn this book is so good! Even though it was written in 1899, it's still reeks of greed, detrimental relationships, abuse, murders, insanity, steam beer and whiskey... all in San Francisco!.
McTeague meets the only heartthrob in his life through pulling her teeth. When then get married, Trina wins $5,000 in the lottery, but becomes more and more stingy (a miser) in the process..to the point that she has to lie and compromise their living situation just to save the money for a rainy day. Without a degree, McTeague can no longer practice dentistry..then he gets tired of the job hunts and all of Trina's penny pinching, so he steals her money and flees the first time with just the money she saved, then returns to murder her and flees to the desert with the $5,000. .... then as tragic and beautiful, lays to his fate in death valley handcuffed to the dead soul that found him. Well it's written more humorously than that.
