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h0neybear's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol and Sexual content
bug5slug5andbook5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Death, Murder, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Gun violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Murder, Gun violence, Death, Grief, and Blood
cutepatzie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Physical abuse, Animal death, Gaslighting, Grief, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Rape, and Sexism
house_of_hannah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I feel like this absurdism that everyone is talking about truly shows up in the second half of the story during the trial. The prosecutor has a certain view of Meursault, and then forces the narrative to support it. This is something that happens in real cases all the time, and is how innocent people end up incarcerated, so it actually felt quite "true to life". However, the difference here is that Meursault is guilty regardless, and it's more his character that is being judged than anything.
I think this second half is where the story really shines. Being judged on the perception of who you are, without being able to defend yourself, is terrifying. Meursault's indifference to the world ended up being his downfall, with the one instance of him acting on his own being the trigger. I know Philosphy is the main subject brought up in discussions of this book, but I'm more interested in the Psychology.
After finishing this novella I went down the Wikipedia rabbit hole about the Algerian War, and learned more about the dark side of French history. I definitely thank this book for that, as it's not a subject I really knew anything about. Overall, I did enjoy reading this story, but I feel I'm just not intellectual enough to truly understand it.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Grief
jana16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Physical abuse, Misogyny, Gun violence, Murder, Mental illness, Death, Death of parent, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Violence, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Racial slurs, Vomit, Alcohol, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Grief, Islamophobia, and Misogyny
dniespal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Sexism, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Grief, Racism, Addiction, Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Alcohol
minervaxyz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
yozhik's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Grief and Murder
miayukino's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Certainly a reflective and grim story. My prof suggested that many have speculated Mersault to be autistic or have asberger's and as a neurodivergent human (allistic), I gotta say it's way more complex then that. Autism and neurodivergence are not code words for social dysfunction or cold personalities. Obviously, everyone's experience is completely different and without spoiling much, my take is that our protagonist is neurodivergent and feels an incredible amount (contrary to the words of my teacher). He has many recognizable compulsions and intrusive thoughts which remind me of my own OCD traits but his coldness to me is not a physiological characteristic but rather a philosophical one. Not all neurodivergent people inherently believe in nothing (I sure don't), that is Mersault's own distinct nihilism.
Suffice to say, if you give this one a whirl, do think about the phychological aspects but check yourself when throwing around mental illness as synonyms for complete lack of social understanding and nihilism, because more often than not, it's a stereotype or a subjective experience.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Racism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Body shaming
Minor: Colonisation
kronosfilm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Sexual content, Murder, and Grief