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A review by mintomillk
The Stranger by Albert Camus
5.0
a breathtaking, quick read with boundless depth and an entire philosophical undertaking. there's nothing i could say about this classic that hasn't been said in much better detail and analysis by trained others, though by adding my own personal thoughts i hope to impress just how much i love Camus into this review.
i held off on reading Camus' most famous work throughout the entirety of my undergrad in philosophy, perhaps thinking that i knew so much about Absurdism already that it would be meaningless to read a metaphorical exploration of the concept. oh, how wrong i was -- Mersault is a fascinating character, and i had to reread the last few pages multiple times due to the sheer depth and questioning behind a few simple sentences. all throughout the entire book you have the faint idea that Camus is joking with his reader to not take any of the events so seriously with Mersault's apathy, yet that same impassionate exploration of the story's events drive one to intense seriousness. all at once, Camus impresses upon you the importance of finding meaning and also realise the fundamental lack of meaning behind anything that we do. an absolutely gorgeous book worth rereading many, many times.
i held off on reading Camus' most famous work throughout the entirety of my undergrad in philosophy, perhaps thinking that i knew so much about Absurdism already that it would be meaningless to read a metaphorical exploration of the concept. oh, how wrong i was -- Mersault is a fascinating character, and i had to reread the last few pages multiple times due to the sheer depth and questioning behind a few simple sentences. all throughout the entire book you have the faint idea that Camus is joking with his reader to not take any of the events so seriously with Mersault's apathy, yet that same impassionate exploration of the story's events drive one to intense seriousness. all at once, Camus impresses upon you the importance of finding meaning and also realise the fundamental lack of meaning behind anything that we do. an absolutely gorgeous book worth rereading many, many times.