THE MEURSAULT INVESTIGATION

Fajer Al-Kaisi's performance of this fascinating and disturbing book is crisp and beautifully articulated. The sun-blasted Algerian world of Camus's classic novel THE STRANGER, and of this mirror image of it, could be distancing. Al-Kaisi makes it intimate, bringing you inside the mind of Harun, whose brother Musa was the nameless Arab shot on a beach by Camus's Meursault. Harun is a loveless and solipsistic old man recalling how his life has been gutted by the murder of his brother (or by his obsession with it). The voice Al-Kaisi gives him is weirdly cool and exactly right, thoughtful and methodical as he details his plight, not particularly expecting sympathy or understanding. This audio production makes a striking novel of ideas a rich and human experience. B.G. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2015]