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A review by justinkhchen
The Trial: A New Translation Based on the Restored Text by Franz Kafka
3.0
3.5 stars
Thought-provoking, but not necessarily an enjoyable read, I've been wanting to pick up a Kafka novel for awhile, but perhaps I should've started with Metamorphosis instead; while I found The Trial conceptually arresting, with memorable moments, and could objectively appreciate many of its thematic explorations, in the end its incomplete state (this was published posthumously, with many assumptions made various editors/translators, such as the ordering of chapters, etc.) did hinder my overall enjoyment.
The novel is less than 200 pages, yet it feels extremely drawn-out; the chapters are long and each page is densely packed with minimal line break—resulting in a very rambly experience. Which, in part I can take away as a stylistic choice, as the plot itself is a satirical look at a fictitious governmental system that's aimless, pointlessly frustrating and all-consuming.
I'm not writing off Franz Kafka for me just yet, as I can't determine whether my detachment from his writing is inherent, or simply because The Trial is technically an unpolished draft. Still, now that I've read it, I'm looking forward to check out the Orson Welles' film adaptation from 1962—the imagery alone look like an atmospheric, surrealistic interpretation I would thoroughly enjoy.
Thought-provoking, but not necessarily an enjoyable read, I've been wanting to pick up a Kafka novel for awhile, but perhaps I should've started with Metamorphosis instead; while I found The Trial conceptually arresting, with memorable moments, and could objectively appreciate many of its thematic explorations, in the end its incomplete state (this was published posthumously, with many assumptions made various editors/translators, such as the ordering of chapters, etc.) did hinder my overall enjoyment.
The novel is less than 200 pages, yet it feels extremely drawn-out; the chapters are long and each page is densely packed with minimal line break—resulting in a very rambly experience. Which, in part I can take away as a stylistic choice, as the plot itself is a satirical look at a fictitious governmental system that's aimless, pointlessly frustrating and all-consuming.
I'm not writing off Franz Kafka for me just yet, as I can't determine whether my detachment from his writing is inherent, or simply because The Trial is technically an unpolished draft. Still, now that I've read it, I'm looking forward to check out the Orson Welles' film adaptation from 1962—the imagery alone look like an atmospheric, surrealistic interpretation I would thoroughly enjoy.