The Trial by Franz Kafka

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4 stars
This was a special book. It has so much; it feels bizarre at times but if you consider the philosophical levels it must have been groundbreaking. Very enjoyable and I highly recommend it.

[Gail]

A foundational book of the modern literature canon. Although the book is unfinished and was published after Kafka's death (and somewhat against the directions of his will), nevertheless the book stands as a unique statement about the nature of human beings in a modern bureaucracy. The tale is not plot driven or dramatic and therefore there is a flatness to the presentation that actually serves the story well if not the pleasure of the reader. Joseph K. is put under arrest for a crime that he is never directly accused of and which throughout the book he never once comes to understand. The court system is a shadow affair hidden in the attics and back alley's of the town and which employs women influencers, poor ushers, and many many layers of court officials who never can see the whole picture of any accusation but must only deal with their little window on the world. Legions of lawyers are employed and yet there has never been a definitive acquittal once someone has been accused. Joseph K. at first believes it all to be a misunderstanding and then a bit of a joke that he hopes to largely ignore. However, like all the accused before him he slowly becomes obsessed with bringing his case to trial. The brilliance of the book has to do with the balance between a realistic world in which K. is tortured by his inability to grasp exactly what is happening to him and how he should practically react and a completely surreal world where lawyers come and go through small doors hidden behind beds. The way that K. overreacts toward little things and under reacts to his larger situation makes K.'s behavior seem very guilty and it hurts his case. I experienced clearly that how he was acting was hurting his case, but how could that be, given we are never given any idea of what the case actually is. We humans, or at least me personally, must have an intuition about guilt. There are moments when this reader was convinced that all of the activities were a reflection of K's paranoid mind facing the modern judgmental activities of his life.
The book really can't be rated. It is a solid 5 for its presence and influence in the world. It has many one star reviews from GR readers as it is not an entertaining read and never delivers clarity. However, I almost randomly gave it 4 stars, maybe for it being unfinished? No, the world and many readers over the ages have finished the book regardless of whether Kafka did or not.

[Diane]

Read 2017

I did not think I was going to have time to squeeze one more book in this month but I am glad that I did. I really enjoyed this book. Josef K. is a bank executive and is charged with a crime that the reader never learns. Each chapter introduces a new character which somehow relates to his trial and moves the story forward. This is my first Kafka and I am glad to be introduced to this author. His writing style was very enjoyable to read. I am glad that Kafka entrusted his friend Max who was the least likely to destroy his work as instructed.