Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - The Outsider

The characters are complicated and often not all that likable, but it is valuable to read this one in the context of other works by Camus. The novel is all about the absurdity of this Mersault's life and life in general. It all means nothing and all we have is our own time. I struggle to place it, but it gave me a similar sense as reading O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker and Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. It could be something about the downtrodden main characters who are actors in their own stories, but fail to see the whole pictures and so are swept away, as we often are.

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hannajor's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

Camus is an absurdist. This is a short-form introduction (especially the last few chapters) into the meaningless and meaningfulness of life. It may be something that I read again, at a later point in my own life. The writing is good, and touches on emotional detachment well, while still being engaging. It's a classic for a reason, and it presents rather lofty philosophical ideas in a very digestible and interesting way. I would recommend this book. It doesn't take long to read and is thought provoking.

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en4's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced

3.5

my review contains spoilers.

i had went in with quite high expectations – ultimately, i had expected this to be a good read. i've heard such good things about the author as well as their works, so that really set my standards to where they were prior to reading.

the book, at first, was not the most interesting. yes, the first sentence did entice me – that was a big reason why i picked the book up in the first place, but after that, it seemed to be just about an adult male losing their mother. then things started to happen. his neighbour was abusive towards his dog and was saying & calling it all sorts of negative things and names, but when lost, he was in distress. then there was another man (neighbour as well, i believe. i don't remember) that had 'girl problems' – again, this man was another abusive (?) one. then there were other characters, of course. the second man is somewhat the reason why what happened in the book happened. though, i don't get why he [main character] pulled the trigger. what was his reasoning? aside from the reason he gave in trial (?), were there more? his action can't be justified.

then, i don't see why the judge (?) was so adamant about tying together how he dealt with his mother's loss to his crime. again, his action can't be justified. people grieve and mourn differently, and the things he did must have been his ways. say he's really apathetic and callous, i think they should've helped him get medical attention? i mean, when you're aware someone is apathetic, don't you think them not shedding a tear at their mother's funeral was to be expected? or things turned out that way because of the year the story took place in?

then there's marie. i just feel bad for her.

this book was definitely thought-provoking. i finished it earlier in the day, and i'm still thinking about it (i've already started a new book, but it's still popping up in my head every now and then). the last few pages were definitely the ones that raised questions in my head and made me think. though, i don't know if i agree with him on this one take of his: "a life in which i can remember this life on earth. that's all i want of it."

well, the book has got lots of good quotes you can keep with you. to be honest, i do wanna reread this book because i want to see if i'd understand aspects of it differently compared to the first time i read it and/or i missed a few things here and there. or if i misunderstood things.

i also think him & marie could've lived quite a simple and normal life, but then again, if he was apathetic and well, nihilistic, it probably wouldn't have ended or worked out nicely anyway.

(this is my first review on here T_T & p.s: i struggle to choose whether i want to give this book a 3.5 or a 4)

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ackoch3's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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ryuutsu's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

I honestly don't know what to make of this book. As a big fan of Camus' absurdism philosophy, I was really interested in what this book might be like. My conclusion is that this might be one of the strangest things I've read, but in a way oddly human because of it. I can't decide if I loved it or hated it, therefore leaving it at 3 stars. One thing is for sure though, it stuck in my mind and made me contemplate its implications and, especially, the lack thereof. Which might be exactly the point.

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bambismith's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-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? Yes

4.0

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venusynth's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-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

4.75

This man is so ordinary and unique all at the same time. He lived a mundane life, made some interesting friends, had a lovely girlfriend, and still ended up that way. Like the narrator, I have nothing much to say about his story other than I enjoyed the pacing, the choices he made, and his day-to-day lifestyle right before the change in events. LOL’ed when he mentioned how much he wanted Marie. He won’t her so badly.

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rosamaria's review against another edition

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All the academic boys can come for me all they want, this book is so boring. I do understand that the whole premise of this novel is a man who simply does not care about his actions or the repercussions for them, that does not excuse how bored I was reading this.

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