A review by gabriel_sakoda
The Outsider by Albert Camus

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Stranger offers a hyper-contradictory, but hyper-accepting portrait of what it means to stop giving a shit. Camus approaches the titular stranger, Meursault, by having him live in a vacuum of himself, only ever concerned about what life means to him in only the most practical terms. He is punished by constant reminders that life is inherently impractical, but continues to double down on his privileged position due to his chauvinistic belief in radical meaninglessness. This book is undoubtedly not fantasizing about his way of life; it is vilifying it. Meursault is such an openly terrible person that his belief in existentialism collapses under the weight of real human emotion. He so ardently believes that no one, under any circumstances, should feel compelled to put any effort into existence beyond the bare essentials that he is completely blind to his own hubris.

The Stranger is an easy read and an excellent example that an author's writing does not have to be "complex" to convey complexity. Furthermore, the balance between intellectual ramblings and noir elements provide for a rather fun story about some loser ass loser. I will undoubtedly revisit it at some point for a class and dissect every letter, but until then, I am going to appreciate this book as a kind of fucked up look at how not to live life.