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biljnavjestica's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
There’s a scene when he’s in trial and a witness woman comes in the room. The first thing he says is a description of her breasts and lips. I absolutely hated that.
Minor: Death, Classism, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Misogyny, and Sexism
bessadams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
ryuutsu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Violence, Physical abuse, Death, and Grief
jkononova's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
An angle I’ve found quite interesting is looking at this story through the lens of neurodivergence specifically. Meursault's continuous failure to conform to society’s expectations is a large part of why he is sentenced to death; the prosecutor’s claim that he was responsible for his mother’s death as well as the unrelated case of parricide was a wild one, and one that would’ve been entirely avoided if he had looked a bit sadder, chosen to see a sadder movie, and cried at the right times in front of the right people. While this man is called monstrous for a lack of this innate quality, these accusations are more a result of failing to engage in various social pretenses, and he was all in all not a menace to society outside of this one incident. Having just read East of Eden, I additionally found it interesting to consider Steinbeck’s perspective on Kate in contrast to society’s treatment of this story’s protagonist.
As an aside, I want to note that Camus' absurdist view on life likely isn't as revolutionary to me as when this work were first published; I feel like I've had too much exposure to this kind of philosophy at this point in my life to be truly changed or fascinated by it in the way I had anticipated, but others might find this to be a transformative read. Despite this not being a massive standout, the last few pages (the last two, in the edition I read) are marvelous, in my opinion, and I will be coming back to reread those specifically.
Moderate: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty
flying_saucers's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Xenophobia
melchior's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, and Confinement
Moderate: Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Blood, Grief, Sexual assault, Gun violence, and Islamophobia
h0neybear's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol and Sexual content
bug5slug5andbook5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Gun violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Murder, Gun violence, Death, Grief, and Blood
cutepatzie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Physical abuse, Animal death, Gaslighting, Grief, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Rape, and Sexism
house_of_hannah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I feel like this absurdism that everyone is talking about truly shows up in the second half of the story during the trial. The prosecutor has a certain view of Meursault, and then forces the narrative to support it. This is something that happens in real cases all the time, and is how innocent people end up incarcerated, so it actually felt quite "true to life". However, the difference here is that Meursault is guilty regardless, and it's more his character that is being judged than anything.
I think this second half is where the story really shines. Being judged on the perception of who you are, without being able to defend yourself, is terrifying. Meursault's indifference to the world ended up being his downfall, with the one instance of him acting on his own being the trigger. I know Philosphy is the main subject brought up in discussions of this book, but I'm more interested in the Psychology.
After finishing this novella I went down the Wikipedia rabbit hole about the Algerian War, and learned more about the dark side of French history. I definitely thank this book for that, as it's not a subject I really knew anything about. Overall, I did enjoy reading this story, but I feel I'm just not intellectual enough to truly understand it.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Grief