Book Review: "Exile and the Kingdom" by Albert Camus

Albert Camus is a real hit-or-miss when it comes to me. I thought his play Caligula was okay and the book The Rebel that I read recently was also fair. I've read other works by him and they are either average or they have simply completely missed the mark. I found his book of short stories Exile and the Kingdom to probably be the better side of his writings even though I have also read his personal writings (I apologise to anyone who liked these, I know they are objectively good but I could not plough through his ramblings and pretend I was enjoying it for too much longer - I will return to it). So, let's have a look at his anthology: Exile and the Kingdom and what I thought of these twisted philosophical stories that reminded me of Hemingway (if Hemingway was trying to break my brain).

In The Adulterous Woman, Janine, a middle-aged woman married to a distant and cold husband, Marcel, is traveling through the Algerian desert. Her life has become monotonous and suffocating. The physical setting of the desert mirrors her internal desolation. When she climbs to the top of a fort, gazing at the vast night sky, she experiences a fleeting moment of intense emotional freedom, a profound connection with the universe. However, the euphoria is short-lived, and she returns to her routine life. I enjoyed this story possibly the most in the anthology, which is a good way to open the review because it's the first one in the book. It made the anthology feel more promising to me - and as you can tell, this is going to be a positive review.

The next story I enjoyed was called The Renegade and I thought it was one of those that again, reminded me of a Dostoevsky story. It revolves around a missionary who, having once been devout in his Christian faith, renounces his beliefs and becomes immersed in a violent, pagan tribe. He narrates his descent into madness as he adopts the customs of the tribe, experiencing degradation and the collapse of his former moral compass. The missionary's violent mutilation of his own tongue is symbolic of his rebellion against both divine and human authority. Camus delves into the destructive consequences of extreme spiritual and ideological shifts, and how abandoning one’s beliefs can lead to chaos and moral confusion. As you can tell, there is a lot of Dostoevsky flavouring in this story and even more when you come around to actually reading it.

Another story I liked was called The Guest - and I've read this one before because I tend to use it when teaching creative writing. Set against the backdrop of French-occupied Algeria, this story centers on Daru, a French-Algerian schoolteacher, who is ordered to deliver an Arab prisoner accused of murder to authorities. Daru resists the role assigned to him, torn between his duty to the colonial government and his desire for personal moral autonomy. He ultimately leaves the prisoner with a choice: to escape or to turn himself in. In this moment, Daru relinquishes his own power over the prisoner’s fate, highlighting the themes of free will and moral ambiguity. The story ends on a tragic note, as Daru discovers a threatening message from the prisoner’s people, suggesting that his gesture of moral integrity has alienated him from both the colonial authorities and the indigenous population, leaving him exiled in both worlds. It is a wonderfully constructed story which leaves the reader with an almost deep philosophical fear.

The theme of isolation runs throughout the collection. The characters are often physically or emotionally isolated, either trapped within oppressive environments or feeling disconnected from those around them. Yet, Camus also highlights moments where they strive for connection or meaning, whether through fleeting personal liberation (as in "The Adulterous Woman") or by accepting responsibility for others (as in "The Growing Stone").

The stories pose questions about the possibility of human connection in an absurd and indifferent world, while also emphasising the moral implications of how individuals choose to engage with the world and those around them. It is one of the few things that I have really enjoyed about Camus' work so far. His theme of isolation is not just there, but it is explored in so many different ways that you require yourself to become immersed before you can understand it entirely - even then it requires a second reading.