The townspeople of Oran are in the grip of a deadly plague, which condemns its victims to a horrifying death. Fear, isolation and claustrophobia follow as they are forced into quarantine, each responding in their own way to the lethal bacillus: some resign themselves to fate, some seek blame and a few, like Dr Rieux, resist the terror. An immediate triumph when it was published in 1947, Camus's novel is a story of bravery and determination against the precariousness of human existence.
This is possibly the best book I have ever read. The philosophical musings are entirely absorbing and the story, gripping and terrifying. A reminder of the fragile and also mysterious nature of human existence. - Madeleine