Review of "The Outsider" by Albert Camus

This was a different kind of read for me – I’ve read a fair few books in my lifetime, but not many were like this one. I’m not going to lie and say it was the best book I’ve ever read, nor am I going to pretend it massively changed my perspective on life. However, what I will say is that it was an interesting read, and I enjoyed branching out into a type of literature that I’m less used to. It’s also a really quick read, so I read it in one sitting, making it a lot easier to digest than if it had been hundreds of pages long.

The book is widely considered as Camus’ existentialist classic, although he actually rejected the existentialist label. The book follows Meursault, a man who seems largely to be alienated from society, hence the title’s labelling of him as an outsider. In the opening line of the book, Meursault receives news of his mother’s death, and his apparent lack of emotion seems strange to the reader initially, however, as the story progresses you notice that he is neither cold nor emotionless, he is simply guided by whatever overwhelming sensation he is feeling at a given moment, for example, at his mother’s funeral he is overwhelmed by tiredness and therefore shows no emotion because all he is able to think about is his tiredness.

Meursault’s detached nature and tendency to give in to overwhelming sensations is what eventually leads to his downfall, and, ultimately, his death. The book questions the meaning of life, and its apparent conclusion, at least to me, is that there is a certain pointlessness to so many of our societal norms, but that those who do not conform to them are shunned and persecuted for this choice.

The book grew on me as I read it, and though it’s not one of my favourites, it was worth the read, and I’m glad I took the time to give it a go. Even though I didn’t come away from it with a new perspective on life, it certainly poses some thought-provoking questions, so read it with an open mind and see what you take from it.

6.5/10