100 Books in 2018

58/ the trial by franz kafka

read: 31.07.18 - 02.08.18

book: The Trial

author: Franz Kafka

blurb: 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: I came into this book with very high hopes for it because Franz Kafka has always been a writer that I have wanted to read due to the hype around his works and their often very interesting subject choice. I was severely let down by this book for a number of reasons.

I found it hard to get into the narrative style, mainly because it focused on lots of things which I found very dull like legal proceedings and random conversations with people which would eventually lead to nothing. It lacked the emotional intensity which I wanted from this novel. What was well done I thought was the fact that as a reader you are left to feel the same confusion as Josef K about the trial, and the lack of explanation throughout was disconcerting but also quite interesting.

I didn't like any of the characters and I really didn't sympathise with K at all in the novel. I was just left feeling very much like it was a chore to read this book and I hate it when that happens. Overall, I wasn't blown away by anything in this book. I understand the psychological significance of it, about how it's a novel about the exploitation of power by authority, but even that aspect of it wasn't enough to keep me interested.

rating: 6.5/10