asolis 's review for:

The Meursault Investigation: A Novel by Kamel Daoud, John Cullen

4.0

challenging reflective

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I didn't really know what to say about The Stranger. But reading it led me to learning about this book. In The Stranger, the turning point of the story is when the protagonist murders "an Arab." The victim remains nameless, and is more like a piece of scenery than a character. 

Daoud wrote this book in response to that vacancy. Here, the victim's brother denounces The Stranger's version of events, relating his own life under the shadow of his invisibilized brother, in a story that comes to mirror Meursault's. 

A remarkable and unique work. Some areas felt a little problematic (light fatphobia and some misogyny) and others dragged (some of the narrator's digressions), but overall the book was very artful. Crisp prose and sharp commentary on the original. The mirrored structure was well crafted and didn't feel forced. I was glad to read this in quick succession with Camus to best appreciate this book's artistry.