The Stranger written by Albert Camus was first published in 1942 during the Nazi occupation of France. The book is written in the first person of Meursault and is broken into two parts. At the start of the book, Meursault attends his Mother’s funeral in the country. He shows little emotion during the small, sparsely attended ceremony before returning to his home in Algiers. Several days later while at the beach with friends, he kills an Arab stranger for no apparent reason.
The second half of the book then deals with the trial as everyone tries to figure out what made him do it. Meursault wonders why everyone keeps trying to attach meaning to the events that lead up to the murder. The book is highly celebrated as being one of the best novels ever written. It’s a simply written, straightforward story that is filled with far deeper meaning than what is written on the page. Far smarter people than me will say it’s a book on existentialism and absurdism. I just found it utterly fascinating.
10/10
The Light Appears 
Thanks for this concise and illuminating review, Michael. Makes me really want to read the book!