The Plague by Albert Camus

⛰ What It’s About 

In the quiet Algerian town of Oran, many rats suddenly began running out in the streets and, stopping suddenly, died. First there were a few rats, then many, then other animals started disappearing. Finally, the people started dying. At the centre of the story was Dr. Bernard Rieux, who treats the first plague patient and identifies the disease is indeed the plague. As more people begin dying, Dr. Rieux urges the town’s government to do something but quickly discovers the absurdity of it all.

🔍 How I Discovered It

I first learned about Albert Camus through a couple of friends, and from there I looked into his philosophy and works. I was able to get a copy of The Plague that my family already owned.

🧠 Thoughts

I read this book during December 2019 and January 2020, just a few months before the novel coronavirus created a global pandemic. The timing is incredible and also somewhat fortunate. Having read this book, it gave me a perspective and philosophy through which to interpret what was happening at the time. While the coronavirus is nowhere near as serious as the bubonic plague, the levels of similarity were fascinating and tragic to see.

The book itself is amazing. Having found the philosophy of the absurd interesting and appealing, The Plague was a case study of what one’s point of view of tragedy might be through the absurdist lens. As a work of philosophy, I was intrigued by how you could find it in different passages, through different characters’ interactions. As a work of fiction, the book is obviously quite sad and tragic, and at times horrific, but nevertheless it’s very well-written.

What I Liked About It

I particularly enjoyed the variety of characters. While they sometimes acted more as caricatures to convey an idea within the context of an explicitly philosophical work, I found they still were fascinating. The exceptionally practical doctor, the sermonising priest, the overly-perfectionist author. Each are great characters, but pushed a little to the extreme or absurd.

What I Didn’t Like About It

While overall well-paced, there were a few spots in the book that I found really slowed down. Sometimes, these were areas giving exposition or lengthier descriptions of things happening in the town.

🥰 Who Would Like It?

Before the pandemic, I would have suggested this book to anyone who is curious about existential or absurdist philosophy. Now, I would recommend The Plague to most people as a perspective on a similarly tragic event.

📚 Related Books

The Myth of Sisyphus, The Rebel, and The Fall are other novels by Albert Camus that expand upon different aspects of his philosophy, absurdism. Similar works by other authors include The Trial by Franz Kafka and Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre.