On the surface, there's nothing too complicated about this title. It's just the name of the female protagonist. But let's try to think beyond the obvious here.
Let's begin with a question: why not name the novel after Laurent? Well, for one thing, Thérèse Raquin reminds us of other famous literary adulteresses—like Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina. Thérèse's sordid love affair also ends in suicide, just like Emma's and Anna's.
Also, Thérèse Raquin isn't the only title the novel's ever had. When Zola's story was first published in serial form in 1867, he called it Un Marriage d'Amour, which translates into A Marriage of Love. So what do you think about the difference between these two titles?
In Zola's words, this novel is not about love. It's about lust. Thérèse and Laurent's passion is merely about satisfying an animalistic need.
The narrative of this dynamic duo is hardly a Romeo and Juliet star-crossed-lovers type of story. It's more a desperate people-meet-and-then-make-each-other-more-desperate type of story.