Now, this is a very interesting one as I often say that I rate characters highly in a book when they either have me physically laughing or they have a trait that makes me fall in love (they’re incredibly kind, they have a comeback story or they’re intelligent for example).

There’s a lot to think about whilst reading this book which is why I enjoyed it. You’d argue he may well be given a different sentence as we have a better understanding of these sorts of mental states these days. There’s a big question of the support Meursault would have received today as opposed to back then and how the case may have been treated differently. We read throughout the book of Meursault feeling bad for his neighbour’s dog whom his neighbour abuses, we read of him enjoying the company of his fling throughout but when asked by her if he loves her he suggests he doesn’t think so, but would still marry her when she asks. It explores the idea of a lack of understanding of why someone can feel no sadness for his mother’s passing and have no remorse upon killing a man and yet still be a “good man”. The Outsider is one of those books that explores different themes. Life simply goes by and he’s simply there to watch it and partake.

I’ve not read Camus’ other books but I would say it has been written like this to add to the element of our main character’s psychotic state and his inability to form deep thoughts or emotions about things. Accompanied with this, Camus writes it in a very blunt and short-sentenced way. The book is a novella, coming in at just over 110 pages. He doesn’t understand why he didn’t cry but he says he’s not sure when is right to cry. He’s noted by other people to have not cried and then to have been seen swimming jauntily in the sea mere days after. You see, Meursault doesn’t seem to feel the loss after his mother’s funeral. With his ability to socialise and perform everyday tasks, I would say it borders more on being a psychopath. Back when this was written there may not have been a diagnosis for it, however, these days it would likely be considered a form of psychopathy or simply high-level autism. The Outsider, as written above, covers the story of Meursault who sees the world slightly differently from others. He is arrested, taken to prison and then we follow his brief journey with prison and the court hearing.

The Outsider follows Meursault in Algeria as he navigates life after his mother’s death and subsequent funeral and then the murder of an Arab man in French Algiers who was involved in a conflict already with one of his neighbours.

The outsider camus book