The Plague – Albert Camus

READ FOR BOOKCLUB
Chosen by Rachel

The story of an Algerian city swept by a plague. The plague begins as a series of portents, unheeded by the people, and gradually becomes an omnipresent reality, obliterating all traces of the past and driving its victims to extremes of suffering. It raises questions relating to destiny and human psychology and warns us that when one plague is beaten another raises its ugly head.

Each of us has the plague within him; no one, no one on earth is free from it. And I know, too, that we must keep endless watch on ourselves lest in a careless moment we breath in someone’s face and fasten the infection on him. What’s natural is the microbe. All the rest – health, integrity, purity (if you like) – is a product of the human will, of a vigilance that must never falter.

♥ “This book’s references to war and plagues of all kinds were significant, as was the author’s dissection of the human condition. There is so much that can be taken from this novel’s warnings. It was a bleak story with no hope of redemption, and I had to ensure I did not let that overshadow the story’s importance. It wasn’t the most rip-roaring read ever but I am pleased to have read this masterpiece.” – Rachel

Published in French 1947
Translated into English by Stuart Gilbert 1991
Vintage
304 pages