Strait is the Gate (La Porte étroite, 1909) is a novel by French Nobel laureate André Gide. It tells the story of Jérôme, a young man devotedly in love with his cousin Alissa. Though she shares his feelings, Alissa's fervent Christian faith leads her to believe that true love requires the renunciation of earthly happiness. Sacrificing their romance for spiritual purity, she withdraws into ascetic devotion, while Jérôme struggles to understand her refusal. Only after her death does he read her diary, discovering the depth of her suffering. The novel is a poignant meditation on love, faith, self-denial, and the tragic cost of excessive virtue.
