Jean-Baptiste Clamence is a soul in turmoil. Over several drunken nights he regales a chance acquaintance with his story. From this successful former lawyer, and seemingly model citizen, pours forth a compelling, self-loathing catalogue of guilt, hypocrisy and alienation. The Fall (1956) is a brilliant portrayal of a man who has glimpsed the hollowness of his existence. But beyond depicting one man's disillusionment, Camus's novel exposes the universal human condition and its absurdities – and our innocence that, once lost, can never be recaptured . . .
