Chapter Book · Ages 14–18 · 1956

The Fall

By Albert Camus

A man's confessions in an Amsterdam bar reveal the hollowness of existence and universal absurdities.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 143,088 ratings

96 pages

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Bookroo's summary

In an Amsterdam bar, Jean-Baptiste Clamence, a former lawyer, unravels his life story to a stranger. His confessions of guilt and hypocrisy reveal a profound disillusionment with his seemingly perfect life. As he grapples with the emptiness of his existence, Clamence's tale becomes a mirror reflecting the absurdities of the human condition. What truths will emerge from his self-loathing revelations, and can innocence ever be reclaimed once lost?

From the publisher

‘An irresistibly brilliant examination of modern conscience’ The New York Times Jean-Baptiste Clamence is a soul in turmoil. Over several drunken nights in an Amsterdam bar, he regales a chance acquaintance with his story. From this successful former lawyer and seemingly model citizen a compelling, self-loathing catalogue of guilt, hypocrisy and alienation pours forth. The Fall (1956) is a brilliant portrayal of a man who has glimpsed the hollowness of his existence. But beyond depicting one man’s disillusionment, Camus’s novel exposes the universal human condition and its absurdities - for our innocence that, once lost, can never be recaptured … ‘Camus is the accused, his own prosecutor and advocate. The Fall might have been called “The Last Judgement” ‘Olivier Todd

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