_lorelei_ 's review for:

The Plague by Albert Camus

4.0

dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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The first half was slow, a little boring. Then it ramped up. Then I cried. Then I cried again. Then I was happy. Then more tears. And that sums up my expirience. In all seriousness, I think The Plague was absolutely worth a read. Is it a must-read? That's up to you. But I don't regret it for a second. The conversation it sparks about good and evil, necessary or unnecessary evil, and the various attitudes and expiriences throughout a horrific plague shared by a man on the figurative front lines is wonderfully insightful. The exploration of religion in relation to tragedy was one of my favorite bits. Should a priest call a doctor? Probably, but he may not. Watching these characters cling to their love, attempt to flee to their love, only for their love to be the friends they made along the way had me sobbing. Every part of this book had me in my feels, especially reading it following the Covid-19 pandemic. The  parallels of our recent history to this fictional text is low-key freaky but adds such a depth that I find hard to explain. All in all, read it, don't read it, the decision is your and yours alone but should you proceed I don't think you'd regret it :)