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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Rating is based on enjoyment. As far as accomplishment goes, though I'm not qualified to judge from a literary or historical standpoint I do think it's higher, probably 4 or 5.
The most obvious touchstone for me is Season of Migration to the North, in that both play with the repercussions of colonialism and reverse colonialism, though this novel is clearly more influenced by Camus' original novel and the existentialist aesthetic. I love the writing in this and some of the descriptive phrases and juxtaposition are absolutely beautiful. I think this is an important modern incarnation in this genre vein and I'm glad it's getting the attention it is.
It's down to three stars for me because the slow pace just isn't doing it for me right now, and the portrayal/references to and of women are confused and muddled a bit (wrong word but I can't think of a better one right now). Recommended to those looking to understand and appreciate an earlier era whose imagined voices are starting to be heard now, through new and exciting lenses.
The most obvious touchstone for me is Season of Migration to the North, in that both play with the repercussions of colonialism and reverse colonialism, though this novel is clearly more influenced by Camus' original novel and the existentialist aesthetic. I love the writing in this and some of the descriptive phrases and juxtaposition are absolutely beautiful. I think this is an important modern incarnation in this genre vein and I'm glad it's getting the attention it is.
It's down to three stars for me because the slow pace just isn't doing it for me right now, and the portrayal/references to and of women are confused and muddled a bit (wrong word but I can't think of a better one right now). Recommended to those looking to understand and appreciate an earlier era whose imagined voices are starting to be heard now, through new and exciting lenses.
Went back and forth between the paperback and the audiobook.
I really struggled with this book. I think the idea was excellent but the book itself was lacking. I really enjoyed the last two chapters, when the narrator's love interest is introduced - I feel like it summed up the rest of the book in a succinct, interesting way.
It has been 15 years since I read "The Stranger" so hard to compare to that really.
I really struggled with this book. I think the idea was excellent but the book itself was lacking. I really enjoyed the last two chapters, when the narrator's love interest is introduced - I feel like it summed up the rest of the book in a succinct, interesting way.
It has been 15 years since I read "The Stranger" so hard to compare to that really.
You could call this fiercely angry little book a companion to The Stranger, but it reads more like a repudiation. The author, an Algerian journalist, comes not to praise Camus but to bury him—particularly for his colonialist egotism. The narrator is the brother of the nameless Arab impulsively murdered by Meursault, Camus’ existential anti-hero. Here, the Arab (& Algeria itself) not only gets a name, but a backstory. Unfortunately, it can’t match its ambitions. Inventive, but slow, long-winded & essentially plotless. Camus may have been cold-blooded, but he wasn’t dull.
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An angry yet interesting retailing of shorts of the novel The stranger by Albert Camus. Not a new favorite but I liked the writing style and might try and pick something else from Kamel Daoud in the future
I really want to like this more than I did - it's a bit meandery/stream-of-consciousness and doesn't "flow" well. I think, rather than an actual shifted perspective to tell The Stranger from the POV of the unnamed "Arab" here named as Musa, the plot is really meant to a) present Harun (Musa's surviving brother) as a mirror to Meursault, driven to disaffected murder by the presence of his very-much-alive mother and b) comment on the impact of the opposing French colonialization and Algerian independence through Harun who is caught between them.
[also, I haven't read The Stranger since HS so that really shouldn't hold anyone back if they want to check this out, the plots aren't that dependent on details from one to the other]
[also, I haven't read The Stranger since HS so that really shouldn't hold anyone back if they want to check this out, the plots aren't that dependent on details from one to the other]
The three star rating is based on my personal enjoyment of the read, not an objective scale. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who has read The Stranger by Camus. It provides a fascinating contrast and goes to show that there are many sides to every story. I struggled a bit with the meandering, rambling way it was written, but it served a purpose and it was well-done overall.
Intressant nytt perspektiv på Camus Främlingen. Lika så kulturellt och karaktärsmässigt. Utöver det tyckte jag att den var rätt dålig.