The Plague by Albert Camus

It took me a long time to read this book, but it is so good. Camus is a good writer because he makes you think. He does, however, fall into what Patrick Marton and I always referred to as “French-people-can’t-write-fiction.”

The book doesn’t necessarily flow very well. Sometimes, it seems to bop around to whatever topic the narrator (and therefore Camus) feels like talking about. This could reflect the chaotic environment that would besiege a town that has been quarantined., but it doesn’t not make for easy reading. Reality doesn’t translate well to fiction.

That being said, I love reading this book because Camus also falls for what Patrick Marton and I often referred to as “French-People-Know-How-to-do-philosophy-stuffs-especially-when-it-is-literature-based.” If you are anything like me you like stories where something happens to humanity as a whole, and humanity as a microcosm gets interesting (Russell has an interesting game like this; if there are only a 1000 people left on earth, what does the world do?). Unlike the Stranger, Camus does pretty well in painting people in a positive light. At one point there is a discussion about God, and one person talks about how he doesn’t believe in God. What is interesting is that it is a similar complaint that I’ve heard Russell make about people. The character says there cannot be a god because it takes people’s attention away from life. “Stop praying and save a poor person!” he would say. Russell and I have talked about how annoying the idea of waiting for heaven is. Don’t wait for the Kingdom of Heaven, it is upon us now.
The scary thing about this is when the Kingdom gets plague, which is what happens in this novel. Despite their words many people are good, and work to do good. In the event of this crisis, people do not act like animals, even if that simply means standing upright as you walk to your death (Camus’ Sisyphus idea).

My caffeine levels have gotten a little high, so I think I need to stop here. Read the Plague, and get rid of your adjectives sometimes. If anyone has questions, I can answer them in comments.