The Outsider by Albert Camus

The Outsider by Albert Camus

This is the second Albert Camus book I have read (having previously read ‘The Plague‘).  I have to say, I do enjoy his work as he explores the absurdity of human nature and cleverly highlights our ‘pack mentality‘ on emotive issues where we assume that there is a standard emotional response that all people should display in certain social situations.

Meursault is an upstanding, hardworking member of society.  He doesn’t lie, he doesn’t judge and he doesn’t pretend.  He’s portrayed as a personable and likable character until he’s put on trial for killing a man in Algiers.  He comes under scrutiny and his moral fibre is questioned – it seems he is being tried not for his crime but for his lack of emotion.  He appears not to have grieved and/or shown the required amount of sadness at the death of his mother.  ‘His refusal to satisfy the feelings of others only increases his guilt in the eyes of the law. Soon Meursault discovers that he is being tried not simply for his crime, but for his lack of emotion – a reaction that condemns him for being an outsider. For Meursault, this is an insult to his reason and a betrayal of his hopes; for Camus it encapsulates the absurdity of life.’

This is a great book with a great storyline and I would definitely add this to any reading list you may be working through.??

I give this book FOUR COFFEE CUPS ☕☕☕☕