Camus, Albert. The plague.

CAMUS, Albert. The plague. Trans. by Stuart Gilbert. Read by James Jenner. 9 cds. 11 hrs. Recorded Books. 2006. 1-4159-9834-2 $52.75. Vinyl; author, plot notes. SA*

Since the beginning of time, every society and creature within them have been beset with active or latent virulent ills, but in our own post-AIDS, post-g/11, ecologically threatened era, Camus's quintessential existentialist novel, which chronicles the effects of an evil pestilence on an otherwise unremarkable Algerian town, resonates especially powerfully and darkly. Translated into unadorned, dispassionate, straightforward prose, the book purports to be the journal of a doctor who describes and analyzes the epidemic thoroughly with scientific detachment in an attempt to make sense of human mortality and the circumstances beyond our control that isolate individuals yet curiously unite even the most personally and philosophically disparate of us. Camus's message, that there's no constant except that we are all in it together and we are generally more admirable and life affirming than we know, is only grimly heartening. It is, however, thought provoking and will certainly spark lively classroom discussion. Jenner differentiates his characters, but as narrator he maintains careful neutrality, in perfect keeping with the doctor's nonjudgmental description of each person and his strategy for coping with life and death.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.

*--The asterisk highlights exceptional books.

Francine Levitov, Attorney, New York, NY