The Stranger

I recently finished reading The Stranger by Albert Camus, an Algerian existentialist author very prominent in the 50's and recipient of the Nobel Prize of Literature. The book takes place likely in Algeria or a similar place, and the main character lives a city life before hearing of his mother's death and spending time on the beach. The book opens with the very chilling line "Mother died today, or maybe yesterday", this indifference to his mothers death, and later his own death, is a very prominent theme throughout the novel. The speaker seems very distanced from the reader, as if he is almost bored with telling the story. The existentialist nature of the novel is likely a response to organized religion and blind faith. Camus is writing to people of the same mind set and holds nothing back when the main character mocks a priest for trying to convert him during his last couple of days alive. I think the purpose behind this text was, and many of the peculiarities surrounding the story, is to question everything you know. Camus never lets faith become a substitute for reasoning, even though this reasoning stripped his character of essentially all emotions. This attitude is very evident in the tone of novel, the opening line exemplifies this. Along with an existentialist indifference, you can feel Camus' intellect packing a punch behind every word. This novel is truly amazing and i would award it 5/5 masked vigilantes.