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The Trial is the terrifying tale of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information.
Review:
This was surprisingly easy to read and nowhere near as dense as I'd expected, but I didn't really think it worked as a novel either. After briefly reading about it afterwards, partly that seems to be because it wasn't a complete work, but some of the flaws stand regardless.
I have obviously heard things described as 'Kafka-esque' but the first few chapters were quite strange even so, as Josef K. lurches between empathic and selfish proclomations to his landlady and fellow lodger after he is first arrested. Whatever happens in the rest of the book, K. therefore comes across as a bit mad, and doesn't seem to correlate with his later behaviour.
The discovery of a bizarre legal system then follows, with apparently sympathetic individuals and a horrible process. The danger of the consequences of a guilty verdict contrasts with the shabby offices, hapless workers and unexpected sources of a possible reprieve as K's professional life suffers in the meantime, while he gets no closer to a definitive answer. I thought I had at least understood some of it after the priest's story, but then the bolt from the blue in the form of the last chapter threw me completely. Zadie Smith's introduction strongly suggests a particular metaphor, but if that was the intention, I don't understand what role the individual characters are meant to be playing.
Instead I felt as I would watching a Tony Law performance, appreciating aspects of it and understanding each part, but not seeing how any of it is meant to link together, and not enjoying it as a result. The organisation's confusing features could have been intentionally satirical, but K.'s equally strange actions don't make sense. In a world with no straight man, it was too much.
Would you recommend this to other users? Yes, although not a book for everyone I think that whoever is interested on the topic discussed in the book should give it a try.
Rating(1-5):
The Trial is the terrifying tale of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information.
Review:
This was surprisingly easy to read and nowhere near as dense as I'd expected, but I didn't really think it worked as a novel either. After briefly reading about it afterwards, partly that seems to be because it wasn't a complete work, but some of the flaws stand regardless.
I have obviously heard things described as 'Kafka-esque' but the first few chapters were quite strange even so, as Josef K. lurches between empathic and selfish proclomations to his landlady and fellow lodger after he is first arrested. Whatever happens in the rest of the book, K. therefore comes across as a bit mad, and doesn't seem to correlate with his later behaviour.
The discovery of a bizarre legal system then follows, with apparently sympathetic individuals and a horrible process. The danger of the consequences of a guilty verdict contrasts with the shabby offices, hapless workers and unexpected sources of a possible reprieve as K's professional life suffers in the meantime, while he gets no closer to a definitive answer. I thought I had at least understood some of it after the priest's story, but then the bolt from the blue in the form of the last chapter threw me completely. Zadie Smith's introduction strongly suggests a particular metaphor, but if that was the intention, I don't understand what role the individual characters are meant to be playing.
Instead I felt as I would watching a Tony Law performance, appreciating aspects of it and understanding each part, but not seeing how any of it is meant to link together, and not enjoying it as a result. The organisation's confusing features could have been intentionally satirical, but K.'s equally strange actions don't make sense. In a world with no straight man, it was too much.
Would you recommend this to other users? Yes, although not a book for everyone I think that whoever is interested on the topic discussed in the book should give it a try.
Rating(1-5):
