The Trial | Franz Kafka | Book Review

PLOT: 5/5
CHARACTERS: 4/5
WRITING STYLE: 4/5
CLIMAX: 5/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 4.5/5

Has it ever happened to you that you are chugging your way through a book at a good decent pace planning on giving it a good old 4 because of its plot, characters and writing style?

You feel like it has its own ups and high-points but “Yeah!! Not that amazing and mind-blowing”. And then, all of a sudden, the climax hits you in your face and you are left on your knees marvelling at the amazing work and the magnificence of the author.

The Trial by Franz Kafka leaves you wondering how is it possible for an author from the early 20th century to imagine and look into the future with such vivid clarity.

If you are still to get that feeling, read this book; if not, u can still do the same. It’s worth the time and will leave you wondering about the present day Judiciary. This book is a terrifying & psychological joy ride.

The first thought which most readers encounter on such an introduction is – “Imaginative and Repetitive”.

I guarantee you it’s none of them. In fact, on the contrary, it’s the closest to reality which most authors can dream of. It stands firm on that thin line which separates fact from fiction.

Arrests of innocents, hazy procedures, continuous neglect of justice, shady deals, one courts’ judgement obscured by other courts. You will find all this in The Trial by Franz Kafka.

“You are being judged not because you did something wrong,

it is because you were accused of doing something wrong”.

I believe this can be very easily seen today; in a time where banks are way too “Big” to be judged on the “Weighing Scale of Lady Justice” and everyone – from individuals to governments – are being held hostage by the inane struggles of today.

Reading this book makes you question whether the work we do, the day-to-day struggles we are involved in, do we really have to face them or can we get out of the “circle of domination” by banks and governments and make a life for ourselves.

You were born without your consent, you live, you do whatever you feel like doing, you may marry or stay single, you may be living a life of fame or anonymity, amassing riches or just getting by but the “Whys & Wherefores” of lifelike, “Why was I even born?”, “Do I have a greater purpose or am I just ‘another brick in the wall’?”, still remain unanswered.

But you are condemned to this charge “To live”. You can “not exist” and “not escape”. You are under arrest. That is all The Trial by Franz Kafka is about. If you look properly you will realise the hidden meaning it has.

“It is not necessary to accept everything as true.

One must only accept as necessary, a melancholy conclusion.

It turns lying into a universal principle”.

The final word – The Trial by Franz Kafka is a must read if you are a fan of Crime Novels and believe in reading more realism than fiction.