La Peste (or the Plague) by Albert Camus speaks loudly to us now amid our harsh times. As it tells of a predicament experienced by the people of the urban Algerian city of Oran following the outbreak of a malignant pestilence, which is quite pertinent to our contemporary struggles. But the book is ultimately intended for both a literal, and allegorical reading.
Through the book, Camus explores the dichotomy between truth and make-belief, as he shows how, erroneously, religious authorities try to explain the provenance of the disease, asserting that good people are protected by divine providence. Ultimately however, as some characters attempt to search for meaning amid such tribulations, they learn that there might be no such thing. There is no reason behind the thousands who were maimed and left to their demise, eliciting the notion of the absurdity of life. It is this, that Camus communicates in the philosophical novel.
Compendium of Words 