Albert Camus won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957.  The Plague was published in 1947.  It is an “anonymously” narrated fictional account of a small town over the course of less than a year as it is ravaged by the bubonic plague.  It is not plot-driven, but description-driven with a small number of characters that are in turn highlighted as they monologue on one philosophical concept (religion, suffering of man, the death penalty, etc.).  The narrative looks at the progress of a disease as it rips through a society and serves as a backdrop to the review of some ideas.

Under normal circumstances, this book would not have held my interest.  However, given that I chose to read it six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, I found it fascinating.  It is eerie and disturbing that the atmosphere and events described in the book so closely foreshadow everything that has played out in the current health crisis.  From the slow start-up response in the health community that caught them flat-footed without enough medication on hand to the use of the term “flattening” the curve, all one has do is substitute “COVID” for “plague” and it feels like a current event novel.  It is a little troubling that for all our faith in the progress of science, fictional events described in 1947 seem to be using the same playbook of reality today, thus begging the question:  if we know exactly how these things play out historically, then why do we still struggle today when history repeats itself?  Apparently, the human race still has a lot to learn, or perhaps the human race needs to reckon with the concept that it can’t always contain Mother Nature in spite of advancements.  Not sure of the correct conclusion, but The Plague is an interesting read in light of current real-life events.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  11 mild obscenities; 2 derogatory names.

Violence/Gore:  Report that a character attempted suicide; reports of deaths (rats & people); scenes of deaths of people from the plague, some with descriptions; scenes of deaths of rats from the plague, some with descriptions; graphic description of symptoms of the plague leading to death; references to historical plagues and wars; descriptions of burials including mass graves, etc.; multi-page scene in which others watch over a child as he is dying in agony from the plague; character reports saying he would kill himself if he was forced to return home; discussion around death penalty; brief description of how firing squad executes someone; scene involving a shoot-out with police, injuries, dog killed, police kick shooter repeatedly, etc.

Sex/Nudity:  Reference to copulation; reference to father having infidelities.

Mature Subject Matter:

Plague/illness, death, suffering, black market, death penalty.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Adults smoke and drink.