Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Plague by Albert Camus

4 reviews

changbineyeskz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Body horror

Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Mental illness, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Blood, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal death and Animal cruelty

kibiiiariii's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Ableism, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Self harm, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

brnineworms's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Reading The Plague in the midst of a pandemic is an odd experience. It’s hard to say whether it makes the story more impactful or less. The idea of a city going into lockdown isn’t particularly shocking to me now, but, at the same time, I can appreciate the accuracy of the depiction in a way I wouldn’t have been able to previously.

At the heart of the story is Camus’s absurdist philosophy. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say it has genuinely changed my life. I’ve often struggled with hopelessness and pessimism, so the insistence on fighting losing battles – on knowing you can’t fix the world but doing the best you can regardless – was something I took to heart. This philosophy most obviously manifests in the actions and beliefs of the protagonists (“Your victories will always be temporary, that’s all.” [...] “Always, I know that. But that is not a reason to give up the struggle.”) but there’s also something to be said about the way it intertwines with other themes. Take language, for instance. There is initially some debate over whether or not the plague should be called a plague, the citizens of Oran struggle to verbalise their anguish when the city is quarantined, and Grand is stuck writing and rewriting the first line of his novel. Words are not enough to accurately describe the human experience, but we try to communicate with them anyway. The irony of this message being conveyed through a work of literature does not escape me.

Speaking of language, my copy of The Plague features a sub-par translation, and I’m going to attribute the clunky sentence structure and wonky grammar to overly-literal translation from French to English. Nevertheless, Camus’s skill as a writer shines through. Something I picked up on was the way he set the mood through careful pacing. The book starts off slow and meandering when discussing the banality of life in Oran before the plague, then pivots to quick, urgent clauses when the plague strikes. It’s masterful.

There are some aspects of the book which deserve criticism (for example, women exist only in their relationships to men) but there’s also so much to love. I think this is the best novel I’ve ever read? I will definitely be checking out the rest of Camus’s work.

Hats off, gentlemen!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Grief, Gun violence, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Vomit

Minor: Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Gore, Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Sexual content, and Slavery

alexiconic's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Especially during the coronavirus pandemic, this is a poignant read. There were definitely times at which Camus managed to nail a particular feeling or mood that I myself experienced. That made reading this book incredibly valuable. 

Speaking of Camus' writing, I admire his prose and style. He has managed to make me interested, kept me on the edge of my seat, and got a chuckle out of me - in a book that is incredibly serious in topic.

The only flaw of this book, to me, is its lack of diversity and the invisibility of both Arab inhabitants of Oran and women.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Moderate: Suicide and Murder