The Outsider (2006)

By Albert Camus
A nice little shortie of a novel, I do like it when you can read classic fiction and it doesn’t take very long – such a sense of virtuous achievement! Also, another piece of classic fiction that is remarkably easy to read. Take note Thomas Pynchon: Great Literature Does Not Have To Hurt Your Brain. Some, in fact, would argue that the easier a book is to read (i.e. smooth, seamless and concise writing), the better the writer…this theory may fall over when considering the adventures of Spot the dog, however.

The Outsider tells the story of Meursault, a fairly normal young Algerian clerk who is undone through is inability to empathise with other people. Today he might be diagnosed with Asperger’s, or if he had been a lot more buff and also a genius he could have been another Jack Reacher – i.e. no remorse gene. Meursault somehow manages to kill an Arab man at the beach (yes this was the inspiration for The Cure’s song “Killing an Arab”) and during his subsequent trial his lack of remorse is used against him. Also, his Mum died a few days before and the prosecutors make much of the fact that he did not cry at her funeral – a.k.a. Lindy Chamberlain. Heartless bastard!!!

It is a very interesting novel – as we read from Meursault’s perspective, all his responses seem perfectly logical, and therefore other people’s responses to him equally surprising. (At least up until he murders someone). It reminded me a little of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr Ripley, a book I found quite disturbing – because we were inside Ripley’s head, we can understand perfectly where Ripley is coming from and think, perhaps, “there for the grace of God go I…”. I suppose you have to have empathy to think that, though, so Meursault and Ripley might not have liked each other’s books very much.

NB: Reading tip: Do not read copies of books that have parts underlined, especially if you have seen the film Heathers. It is very distracting.

Rating: 9 out of 10