The Stranger

I read three books at the beach.  The first one was The Stranger by Albert Camus.  I chose it because it was small and compact and seemed literary.  The novel was published in France in 1946 and translated into English.  The writing style is short and bleak sentences that reminded me of Hemingway.  The story is about a fellow named Meursault.  He finds out that his mother died. He goes to her funeral but seems emotionally detached.  Later he has fun with some friends, commits a crime, goes to jail, is found guilty and waits his punishment.  Meursault doesn't seem to be upset by anything that goes on in his life.  He will not, however, say anything but exactly what he means, even if it could help his case in court.  He seems to lack compassion, empathy, and normal human reactions but he is steadfast in his honesty.  The story is very strange but it went by quickly and was actually quite fascinating.