Read or Die: Book Reviews by Emily

(Grade 9 and up) In this classic novel, what begins as an innocent day at the beach ends in murder, and even the culprit himself is uncertain as to how he found himself in such a predicament. After his mother’s death, Meursault reconnects with a woman named Marie, and finds a friend in Raymond, a man who lives in the same building as he does. Though these facts seem unrelated, in time, a prosecutor will attempt to turn them into evidence of a dangerous personality, and coincidences, conversations, and actions that once seemed innocuous will begin to look like the actions of a man guilty of a terrible crime. Who is Meursault really? Does he himself know?

“The Stranger” is something that I’ve wanted to read for a long time, and though I went into the novel knowing basically what it was about, I was still very impressed by how much Camus was able to surprise me. Meursault, as a character, manages to be simultaneously sympathetic and suspicious; I didn’t really become suspicious of him until other characters did, and even then, I found myself agreeing with him to the point that, at times, I was a little unnerved. When reading “The Stranger,” you have to decide for yourself why Meursault acted the way he did, whether or not the things he thinks and says can be trusted, and, perhaps most chilling of all, if you can imagine yourself ever becoming involved in a similar situation. Even when you’re not quite sure you understand him, Meursault’s voice will captivate you. (4.5 out of 5 stars)

• Paperback: 123 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (March 13, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679720200
• ISBN-13: 978-0679720201 (Source of Publication Data: Amazon.com)