A review by inunui
The Trial by Franz Kafka, Max Brod

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Weird, funny, frightening, challenging. Kafka's work has always been enjoyably obtuse, and I think here, the humor of the absurdity shines through. Catch-22 for the Great War.

Muirs' translation on my end (an edition from 1968) was a bit prone to mistakes, a bit hard to read due to being formatted in long block paragraphs. Are the others this way? I don't know! But I will say that the Muirs have a way with words. The humor is rather clear, descriptions are quite nice, and the translation doesn't bother to trample Kafka's eccentric narration. Maybe look for a translation that's formatted more for modern readers, if such a thing even exists.