The Stranger
The Stranger by Albert Camusby Albert Camus
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 10 of 122 novels by recommenders
People recommend it as a short, unsettling novel that stays with readers long after reading. Some find it a youthful work and say the second half weakens.
People recommend it as a short, unsettling novel that stays with readers long after reading. Some find it a youthful work and say the second half weakens.
16 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 94%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 15 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Stays with readers after reading
“But reading The Stranger had a profound impact on me”
Comment from 1 Aug 2026 in “The Absurdity of Albert Camus” “the stranger was just so different than anything I’ve ever read”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” “will give you something to think about”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” Enjoyable to read
“At least, I enjoyed reading the novel”
Comment from 1 Aug 2026 in “The Absurdity of Albert Camus” “It's a fine book, and I ended up liking it a lot more when I went back and re-read it”
Comment from 21 Mar 2026 in “Books of the Century by Le Monde”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Strangerby Albert CamusThis page | 15 | 1 | 94% | 6 | — | Approved |
What people said
14 of the 17 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“stronger books than The Stranger”
“will give you something to think about”
“beloved (on vibes) L'Etranger”
“both are great works, but I've felt that these were still the type of thought of a yet young person”
“But reading The Stranger had a profound impact on me”
“To me the weirdest part of the book, that I find out of character”
“The Stranger is, IMO, mostly interesting to see how his own views changed over those ~5 years and shouldn't really be an introduction to his philosophy.”
“At least, I enjoyed reading the novel”
“the book describes the world very naturalistically”
“The second half falls apart catastrophically.”
“I don't think there is a Sienfeld without The Stranger”
“it always saddens me a bit to see Camus so high up on every list”
“It's a fine book, and I ended up liking it a lot more when I went back and re-read it”
“the stranger was just so different than anything I’ve ever read”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.