In 1940 a terrible plague descends on the Algerian town of Oran - carried by rats, it condemns its victims to a swift and hideous death... Whilst being in part an allegory for France's wartime traumas, the plague is also intensely real and frightening. It quickly establishes a stranglehold on the town of Oran, forcing the people that live there to be quarantined within its confines. Fear, paranoia, loneliness and claustrophobia all follow, illustrating the seemingly precarious and absurd nature of the human condition. Intensely personal to Camus, the book is exceptional both for its vivid descriptions of the plague and for its exploration of moral dilemmas. A true Classic in every sense of the word.