A review by sunnybopeep
The Plague by Albert Camus

3.75

So, the translation was good. It felt very purposeful, and I liked the translator’s note at the end. In terms of the text itself, what can I say? At face value, it’s a story about a horrible epidemic that is reminiscent of the bubonic plague. Dig a little deeper and it’s a story about a conflict between good and evil. The core of the story relies on the characters and their individual decisions. Will they make the righteous decision? What is a “righteous decision”? Camus has a way of writing that makes me want to agree with everything that he says. This book is deeply philosophical, and it probably touches on just about every subject that is relevant to daily life. Camus talks about human emotion, isolation, relationships, loss, religion, politics, mass hysteria, poverty… the list goes on. I wish I had read this at a time when I was in a better headspace because I found some of the philosophical ramblings (although masterfully written and very convincing) to be difficult to get through. This book was full of such moments, so that brought my enjoyment down.

TLDR; I felt like I was educated against my will, but I’ve come out a better person for it.

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