Thought-provoking symbolism

The novel is set in a small town in Northern Africa during the 1940s and revolves around the plague. The plague is introduced through rats, and there are some grotesque descriptions of the rats dying on the streets. Later the town is quarantined, and no one is allowed to come or go through the town gates. The isolation of the town becomes a central theme. The novel follows the plague from beginning to end focusing on how it affects a few key characters.

The novel would be interesting simply as a tale of a town and the way it changes with the plague, but it is made profound by the symbolism of the plague in relation to WWII. The Plague is often considered to be a comment on Nazi occupation.

The book delves into many psychological and philosophical concepts including coping with death, maintaining hope amongst tragedy, and the role of change and habits. Camus deals with these subjects by integrating different perspectives from several characters within the book. Dr. Rieux has a primary role, and the novel seems to be a description of his psychological journey as much as it is an overview of the plague.

Camus' writing style is easy to read. If you can read French, try the original, otherwise the English translation is quite good. Camus especially focuses on sensory descriptions, which makes the book come alive. However, it also can be quite unpleasant to read about death, so make sure you are in the right mood.