Author : Albert Camus
What is it about : A middle-age man received the news of the death of his mother from the nursing home but felt and showed no sadness at her funeral. Life went on for Meursault thereafter as normal as before until a weekend of drama turned his life into a nightmare. The story climaxed as he sat in his prison cell and contemplated life as the "outsider".
Some thoughts after having read the book : It was gut-wrenching to read the ending of the story where the court passed judgement not on Meursault 's crime (per se) but on his character and how he behaved. One could not help but realised that everyone had, on his/her day been an "outsider" - one who refused to conform to social norms, not paying attention to cultural traditions, not putting on the appropriate emotional mask for the occasion or simply, one could be "an outsider" for being brought up in an "outsider" family. I felt totally sympathetic towards the plight of Meursault as the prosecutor won over the jury for his depiction of Meursault as a heartless son who "went swimming in the sea and watched a funny movie the day after his mother's funeral ..." and successfully turned the trial into one of morality and not about the actual murder. Infamous cases in point kept popping up in my mind as I read, think of the trials of O.J. Simpson, and you would get the gist of the idea.
Would I recommend this book to you : Yes ! A book written with a clear story line and build-up and the writing style was under-stated in tone and texture - no big statements, no heroic actions. The reader would be taking a ride along side the days of Meursault during the course of a year or so, and you would be rewarded with thumping climax at the end !
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