"The Plague" by Albert Camus

Title: The Plague
Author: Albert Camus
Genre: Philosophical literature
Overall: 10/10

Synopsis:
A gripping tale of human unrelieved horror, of survival and resilience, and of the ways in which humankind confronts death, The Plague is at once a masterfully crafted novel, eloquently understated and epic in scope, and a parable of ageless moral resonance, profoundly relevant to our times. In Oran, a coastal town in North Africa, the plague begins as a series of portents, unheeded by the people. It gradually becomes an omnipresent reality, obliterating all traces of the past and driving its victims to almost unearthly extremes of suffering, madness, and compassion. 

Jo's review:
This story is as in-depth as Mariana Trench. Parabolic literature requires intellect, empiricism, philosophy. Albert Camus defined the term plague with several meanings. Fatal disease. War. Hidden evil in humankind. But most of all, it's a story that shows different behaviors in the face of danger. There are the cowards, the heroes, the ones who fight, the ones who pray for survival, the ones who try to escape, and finally those who, by accepting the inevitable death, want to make the most of the last moments of life. This novel proves that people can never truly tell how they would react in tragic situations. And it's not only a story of a contagious disease, it's a story of contaminated minds that accept a state in which nothing is dependent on them. It was the first "serious literature" read I have ever done. I was barely 14 when I first read it and ever since that time I've been referring to this novel as a basis for philosophical essays. Mon Dieu. This is a piece of a true literary artistry.

Favourite quotes:
“There are more things to admire in men than to despise.” 

"The evil that is in the world always comes of ignorance."

“But memory is less disposed to compromise.”