Review: The Stranger

“Maman died today. Or yesterday, maybe, I don’t know.”

So starts Albert Camus’s story of the absurd. If I could really describe this book, I honestly would, however it’s existential nature makes it quite difficult to really pin it down. Briefly described, The Stranger is a story of Meursault, a man caught up in a senseless murder, and the progression and details of his experience in the absurdity and meaningless nature of human existence.

Camus manages to create and weave a story that follows a man void of anything that most readers could relate to, whether it is emotion, action, or thought. In spite of this fact, however, Camus’s Meursault brings to light some very compelling philosophical concepts about the relationship of man to the universe. Are all actions meaningless in the eyes of an indifferent universe? And without such meaning, do we find ourselves living our own mini-plays of the absurd, clawing at scraps to create that which doesn’t exist?

While an utterly odd reading experience, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can understand its prestige and acclaim as one of the most famous novels of its time, however if you were to ask me to explain why, words would escape me. Regardless, I believe this is something that anyone with even an inkling of interest should pick up and read. It’s brief, thoughtful, and perplexing.

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