Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - The Stranger

This was truly the worst book I’ve ever read. Not only was the main character completely insufferable but all the other characters were equally as awful. The idea of the main character being an “ordinary man” is disturbing. Nothing about him is ordinary in my book. The only thing I liked about the book was it’s overall creepy and dark tone. Otherwise I thought it was pointless, there is no development or growth. It was dull and borderline unreadable.

Maybe I just completely missed the mark but I’m 99.9% certain the main character is a psychopath and truly has no emotions. He has no redeeming qualities. Allowing Raymond to do what he did is literally exhibit A.
Also Marie is a complete idiot.

Content Warnings

zerogoodknees's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

bessadams's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional sad slow-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

toffishay's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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.

Content Warnings

en4's review against another edition

Go to review page

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)

Content Warnings

tytrack99's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective fast-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

2.75

I can tell this is one of those books I’ll probably never think about again. I know its supposed to have some deeper profound meaning, but those dont really resonate with me. had some good reflective quotes but overall, probably wont remember this story!

Content Warnings

ackoch3's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

Content Warnings

ryuutsu's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

More...