(B) The Immoralist (André Gide, 1902)
Grade: B+
This short novel is deceptively simple but there are in fact vast amounts of depth to Gide’s prose. The “immoralist,” Michel, seeks to redefine who he is after nearly dying from tuberculosis, and this search leads him to engage in questionable behavior, most of which is only implied and never explicitly stated. The Immoralist explores our search for identity and our freedom from societal expectations. Knowing how to free oneself is nothing; the difficult thing is knowing how to live with that freedom.