I remember when I read Albert Camus’ “The Plague” I found myself deeply engrossed. Camus quickly became a favorite. His storytelling in The Plague is both compelling and stressful, detailing a ten-month outbreak of the bubonic plague in a 1940s town in Algiers.

The narrative feels almost like a zombie apocalypse. The residents are trapped in the town, facing the grim reality of a painful death. Cut off from the outside world and separated from some of their loved ones, the story dives into the motivations behind people’s actions during such a crisis. Camus doesn’t shy away from questioning God, his followers, and the meaning of life itself. He raises profound questions—does any of it really matter?

Camus’ exploration of human nature under extreme duress is both thought-provoking and unsettling. “The Plague” isn’t just a tale of disease and death; it reflects the human condition, our resilience, and the philosophical questions that arise when we’re pushed to our limits.

Ironically enough, the book could not prepare me or anyone for what we endured as a civilization during the COVID lockdowns.