Name: Manu's review of The Stranger by Albert Camus
Item: The Stranger
Rating: 4
Author: Manu

Albert Camus

Through the story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on an Algerian beach, Camus explored what he termed "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd." First published in 1946; now in a new translation by Matthew Ward.

The Stranger

Mdy<3

"I had only a little time left and I didn't want to waste it on God."

"I had been right, i was still right, i was always right."

"After awhile you could get used to anything."

The bizarre opening lines of this novel. Immediately we notice that Mersault is emotionally detached and indifferent when it comes to others and he is difficult to categorize as a person.

Dingdong 

Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: “Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.” That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday.

🏹

I had been right, I was still right, I was always right. I had lived my life one way and I could just as well have lived it another. I had done this and I hadn’t done that. I hadn’t done this thing but I had done another. And so? It was as if I had waited all this time for this moment and for the first light of this dawn to be vindicated. Nothing, nothing mattered, and I knew why.

Kat 

Couldn’t he see, couldn’t he see that? Everybody was privileged. There were only privileged people. The other would all be condemned one day  and he would be condemned too. 

What would it matter if he were accused of murder and then executed because he didn’t cry at his mother’s funeral? 

tianna

For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and and that they greet me with cries of hate.

Sounds of the countryside were drifting in. Smells of night, earth, and salt air were cooling my temples. The wondrous peace of that sleeping summer flowed through me like a tide. 

bella <3

at the time, i often thought that if i had to live in the trunk of a dead tree, with nothing to do but look up at the sky flowering overhead, little by little i would have gotten used to it. 

I was absorbed by the feeling that the sun was doing me a lot of good. 

juana de arco si estuviera cronicamente online

“I laid my heart open to the gentle indifference of the universe“

sheera ⁠✷

For the first time, perhaps, I seriously considered the possibility of my marrying her.

Minsho Limbu

surtified™

And I felt ready to live it all again too. As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world.

What would it matter if he were accused of murder and then executed because he didn’t cry at his mother’s funeral?

ngl, everything that's happened to him is actually good for him, he lowkey went from no emotion, no reaction, no nothing, to emotive and expressive. chances are it'll soften the heart. 

Then, I don’t know why, but something inside me snapped. I started yelling at the top of my lungs, and I insulted him and told him not to waste his prayers on me. I grabbed him by the collar of his cassock. I was pouring out on him everything that was in my heart, cries of anger and cries of joy

“No, I refuse to believe you! I know that at one time or another you’ve wished for another life.” I said of course I had, but it didn’t mean any more than wishing to be rich, to be able to swim faster, or to have a more nicely shaped mouth

But the face I was looking for was as bright as the sun and the flame of desire—and it belonged to Marie.

No offense but he's carrying no burden at all.

He was expressing his certainty that my appeal would be granted, but I was carrying the burden of a sin from which I had to free myself

Deep down I knew perfectly well that it doesn’t much matter whether you die at thirty or at seventy, since in either case other men and women will naturally go on living—and for thousands of years. In fact, nothing could be clearer. Whether it was now or twenty years from now, I would still be the one dying. At that point, what would disturb my train of thought was the terrifying leap I would feel my heart take at the idea of having twenty more years of life ahead of me. But I simply had to stifle it by imagining what I’d be thinking in twenty years when it would all come down to the same thing anyway. Since we’re all going to die, it’s obvious that when and how don’t matter. Therefore (and the difficult thing was not to lose sight of all the reasoning that went into this “therefore”), I had to accept the rejection of my appeal

Girl. Stop. I think you might lowkey be better off not living. 

I would always begin by assuming the worst: my appeal was denied. “Well, so I’m going to die.” Sooner than other people will, obviously. But everybody knows life isn’t worth living.

 Maman used to say that you can always find something to be happy about.

Manu

Poojitha Uppalapati

It's been a long time since I've read this book (and it's definitely time for a re-read), yet I still think of it often. 

The narrartor, Mersault, is a character I personally find difficult to relate to and so I found him very fascinating. The Stranger's overarching theme is the absurdity and meaninglessness of life which is depicted through the actions and psychology of Mersault who is repeatedly depicted as a social outcast. Although the book is written from his first point-of-view, even we as the reader struggle to understand his motives and actions which further emphasizes his 'otherness'.   

I loved this book and will definitely read it again, as I think this is the type of book that needs to be read again and again in order to truly appreciate.  

It's been a long time since I've read this book (and it's definitely time for a re-read), yet I still think of it often. 

The narrartor, Mersault, is a character I personally find difficult to relate to and so I found him very fascinating. The Stranger's overarching theme is the absurdity and meaninglessness of life which is depicted through the actions and psychology of Mersault who is repeatedly depicted as a social outcast. Although the book is written from his first point-of-view, even we as the reader struggle to understand his motives and actions which further emphasizes his 'otherness'.   

I loved this book and will definitely read it again, as I think this is the type of book that needs to be read again and again in order to truly appreciate.  

florrr

i didn’t think a story this simple could feel so heavy. meursault’s detachment from everything—his mother’s death, love, even his own life—makes you question what really matters. it’s not just about being indifferent; it’s about the absurdity of trying to find meaning in a world that has none. his final decision to embrace the absurd felt both unsettling and strangely freeing.

One of the most prolific works from Albert Camus. Sometimes simplicity in fiction is an amazing way to introduce philosophical thoughts and ideas; the stranger is no less than just that. It showed how grounded ideas are nothing more than a way of keeping them from their purest state (of being absurd).

Anugerah

i feel like I just tried swallowing sawdust tbh

L'étranger

Romy

Khoa Dang

mari

From the moment I picked up this book, I was captivated. It never once felt boring to me. Reading through other reviews, I realized it’s not for everyone—some people just don’t connect with it. But I did. The story resonated deeply, especially as it pushed me to reflect on my own life. I found myself agreeing with the main character’s final reflections on life and the years stolen from him: it didn’t matter whether we die today or tomorrow when there’s no one we truly treasure or who truly understands us.

I want to be clear—this isn’t me straying from my faith. I’m a devoted believer and like to think I’m simply navigating a quarter-life crisis. To me, this novel portrays the life of an atheist (or perhaps a nihilist?) forced to confront the emptiness of his existence, to grapple with remorse and regret, and to recognize the precious moments he could never fully embrace—though he couldn’t bring himself to change. While this book might feel relatable if you’re dealing with depression, I’d strongly advise against reading it in such a state.

From the moment I picked up this book, I was captivated. It never once felt boring to me. Reading through other reviews, I realized it’s not for everyone—some people just don’t connect with it. But I did. The story resonated deeply, especially as it pushed me to reflect on my own life. I found myself agreeing with the main character’s final reflections on life and the years stolen from him: it didn’t matter whether we die today or tomorrow when there’s no one we truly treasure or who truly understands us.

I want to be clear—this isn’t me straying from my faith. I’m a devoted believer and like to think I’m simply navigating a quarter-life crisis. To me, this novel portrays the life of an atheist (or perhaps a nihilist?) forced to confront the emptiness of his existence, to grapple with remorse and regret, and to recognize the precious moments he could never fully embrace—though he couldn’t bring himself to change. While this book might feel relatable if you’re dealing with depression, I’d strongly advise against reading it in such a state.

Maureen

"As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world."

***

Cheers to my 60th book this year! Meursault's total indifference to the world throughout is peak absurdism I guess. Even though the ending was predictable, the way Camus wrapped everything up was truly profound. A short but impactful read!

it’s so bad i wanna give you a 0. but that’s not possible, so i’ll give you a 1

一诺

Princess Doe 

i was bored until i was devastated. it’s also legendary to see that i stumbled upon a corpse-laden sun that brings despair and depression before even reading camus

lauren amitirigala

a cautionary tale abt repressing ur emotions: you may end up killing a guy if the sun hits ur eye the wrong way 

 wen

Wassim

Good.I didn't like the ending even tho what did I expected?

armoni mayes

I am a little torn on whether to rate this 3.5 or 4 stars. Maybe I will feel differently later on but that is how I am feeling right now. 

The Stranger is a relatively short story and easy at-face-value read about a man who committed a murder on a summer's day at the beach. We follow a man by the name of Meursault through the described mundanity of burying his mother, his friendship with an awful man named Raymond, his neighbor who beats his dog (?), and his love interest Marie. But he never truly feels any strong emotions to anything or any of the people that are in his life. He is just simply moving through life and kind of just agrees or goes with what other people want him to do. The strange thing that happens is of course the murder.

(I may or may not finish this review later)

“I looked at myself in my tin plate. My reflection seemed to remain serious even though I was trying to smile at it. I moved the plate around in front of me. I smiled and it still had the same sad, stern expression.”

least psychopathic nihilist. the first half of this was such an easy read but started to get heavy and not to my liking. but overall the story was amazing and i loved how a simple mistake caused everything to downward spiral.

the_basis_

“I looked at myself in my tin plate. My reflection seemed to remain serious even though I was trying to smile at it. I moved the plate around in front of me. I smiled and it still had the same sad, stern expression.”

least psychopathic nihilist. the first half of this was such an easy read but started to get heavy and not to my liking. but overall the story was amazing and i loved how a simple mistake caused everything to downward spiral.

Clay Carey

“As if that blind rage had washed me clean, rid me of hope; for the first time, in that night alive with signs and stars, I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself—so like a brother, really—I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated, for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.”

Kat Albanese

i had the same inner monologue when i was 13

can’t help but think I’d like this more if I was smarter

Grace M

Abigail Marie

iskrisis

@krisa it’s such an interesting book though. I still don’t know what to think about it honestly. 

I rember this was pretty devastating little book.

Manu &
The Stranger by Albert Camus

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