A review by lckeser7
The First Man by Albert Camus

2.0

I feel like I've been reading this book forever. My biggest gripe with the book is that it is unfinished. This is clearly a draft of a book in progress, and it has not been edited and Camus' own notes appear as footnotes. I knew all of this before I started, but it was still bothersome.
The reason that its unfinished status matters so much is because without some editing and revision, the pieces of the book fail to coalesce into a story. As is, the book reads like a series of vignettes that run between insignificant and epiphanous. I want to appreciate this vacillation between the mundane and the revelatory as a feature of the text. That is how our lives unfold, so in a way, it makes sense, but the lack of cohesion still makes me want a more complete book.
The book does a good job of delving into themes without the cynicism of many of Camus' other books. This one is not meant to be as heady as it is about the real objects and events of life as it is lived day-to-day. Camus said he wanted this book to be "heavy with things and flesh," and it is. It's about the freedom of childhood, a nobility in poverty, family, the search for a father, and growing up. The First Man has a lot going on. I just wish it was better.