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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
I'm pretty sure I don't have the literary swagger to give this book a proper review, but luckily others have done a great job.
Some other thoughts: while I liked Camus's book a lot, I appreciated how this book took it apart, pointing out the absurdity of Meursault and The Stranger, in which Meursault is critiquing the absurdity of the world. What if Meursault had been a believable person? What if The Stranger hadn't been from the perspective of a Frenchman? Daoud delivers.
This should definitely be read with The Stranger.
Some other thoughts: while I liked Camus's book a lot, I appreciated how this book took it apart, pointing out the absurdity of Meursault and The Stranger, in which Meursault is critiquing the absurdity of the world. What if Meursault had been a believable person? What if The Stranger hadn't been from the perspective of a Frenchman? Daoud delivers.
This should definitely be read with The Stranger.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I only tolerated this because it was a follow up to the Stranger by Albert Camus. This was meant to be sloppy, I believe, but still it lacked depth for me. At the beginning, I was pleased to hear the family perspective on the Arab man passing away but it was drawn out in a very repetitive way. At one point in this book, the narrator says “I am doddling a lot, that must be annoying”. And I thought, that’s what I’ve been thinking this whole time.
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Wauw, wat een boek zeg. Echt het perfecte vervolg op De Vreemdeling.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a pretty good counterpart to The Stranger by Albert Camus, examining the lives of the Arabs of French Algeria that Camus often neglected to mention or go into great detail about during his writing. Daoud remains faithful to The Stranger, though there are a couple of liberties taken that could have been handled better. Meursault was a fairly reliable narrator, but Daoud seems to rewrite a few bits in order to call into question Meursault's narrative, which I'm not entirely sure is necessary (or welcome.) Overall, however, Daoud develops a rich narrative and compelling storytelling style that keeps you reading throughout. I would definitely recommend revisiting/rereading The Stranger before you read this book.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes