How does one begin to rate such a book as this? The themes explored here are too great for a star rating or my meagre attempt at reviewing and recapping this. Here goes nothing... 
 This follows the life of Meursalt after his mother's demise. Meursalt's reaction to this tragedy is different to most others, as he expresses little sorrow and performs acts (such as smoking and drinking coffee) around his mother's body that are traditionally deemed disrespectful. This unfeeling thoughtlessness continues to seep into all other areas of his life, with tragic consequences. 
 Camus cleverly combines his protagonist's beliefs and his stylistic approach to penning this novel as one. The narrative is plodding and monotonous. Every small detail is meticulously explained in unfeeling detail as though this is a police report and not a novel. This approach eventually lured me in to the story, though, and gave me a better understanding and feel for the man it focuses on. 
 His belief in the meaningless of the universe prompts Meursalt's seemingly thoughtless reactions and provides an insight into the existential psyche for the reader. His indifference often made for frustrating reading, which meant my feelings were aligned with the other side characters of this story, rather than the central one. 
 My overall opinions about this book are mixed and far too raw for me to begin to untangle yet. If ever. I can't say I enjoyed this, in the traditional sense of enjoying a story, but it provided many points of deep thought and a focused character study that was intriguing to read.