3.5 stars. Gobseck is sort of a prequel to [b:Father Goirot|34688255|Father Goirot|Honoré de Balzac|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490569589l/34688255._SY75_.jpg|72392], featuring a grotesque title character who is both villainous for his greed but strangely attractive to the reader for his cynical proclamations and, at times, insight into the darker and more calculating aspects of human nature. Gobseck is a commentary on capitalism, greed, and colonialism, with Gobseck representing the necessary evil that must exist as a counterweight to those human activities. The slight sympathy that we feel for Gobseck comes not from our accepting or condoning his actions, but for our understanding that he is just as trapped in these systemic nets as the people with whom he deals (or cheats, to be more frank) -- a reality revealed by Balzac at the end, when we see the literal decay at the center of his life.