hobbit_lamp reviewed The Stranger by Albert Camus
Weirdly pure and wholesome?
5 stars
Content warning light spoilers, mainly about ending
By "pure" and "wholesome" I mean in that it's free from manipulation or pretense. Meursault experiences life very directly and doesn't dramatize or perform. I don't know what I expected with this book but I found it strangely calm and even tender.
On the surface Meursault can seem cold and indifferent but I found him to be deeply embodied and honest. He is often seemingly overwhelmed by heat, fatigue, and physical discomfort and those small sensory details made his world feel vivid and present. I deeply respect his refusal to perform things he didn't feel.
The ending, and particularly his reflection on his mother, felt unexpectedly loving. His original rejection of public mourning for her didn’t feel heartless, it felt respectful. He recognized her life and the way she lived it and he refused to perform a ritual that didn't feel true to him.
This book felt deeply human to me.
