A detached man’s mother dies, and an act on a hot beach changes everything
What it is about
Meursault is a quiet clerk in Algiers who attends his mother’s funeral without much visible emotion. In the following weeks, he goes to the beach, starts a relationship and gets drawn into a friend’s troubles. A single act of violence leads to a trial that is as much about his character as his crime.
Who will enjoy it
Readers who want a short philosophical classic.
What you will get
A short novel with a lasting influence. It was first published in French as L’Étranger.
The Stranger Facts: Pages, Genre and Setting
Genre
Classics · Absurdism · Alienation · Justice
Length
123 pages · ≈ 4 h
More about this book
Characters
Meursault, his friends and the court that judges him.
Setting
Algiers, in French Algeria, in the 1930s.
What makes it different
A short, plain-spoken novel that became a key text of absurdist philosophy.
Feel
Cool, stark and unsettling.
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