a good book

is one that even though you know is going to depress you with its tale of the downward spiral of the protagonist, you can't help but continue reading.

Like Camus. any of Camus' books - The Plague was brilliant, and am hooked on The Stranger, his first novel. and i dare say even Zola's Thérèse Raquin and Germinal (although my fellow Naturalism coursemates will disagree about the last one).

Even though it was past midnight when i should have gone straight to bed, i read another chunk of The Stranger and was bracing myself throughout because i could see how Monsieur Meursault was destined for trouble.