The Trial: Book Review

"The Trial" is a novel written by Franz Kafka, who is regarded as one of the most influential
authors of the twentieth century. Even though it was written in 1914 and 1915, its publication
followed ten years later, when Kafka died.
The story revolves around Josef K., who wakes up in his apartment one morning only to find out
he's been arrested for no apparent reason. He is not taken away, but rather told to await
instructions and left to continue his life as if nothing happened. The reason for his arrest is
neither revealed to K. nor the reader.
The setting of the novel is an unspecified city at an unspecified moment in history, but this is
probably done intentionally.
K. is the only main character. He's the chief financial officer of a bank and a respectable member
of the society. However, post the arrest, he becomes both confused and insecure due to the
absurdity of the situation he finds himself in, sometimes even questioning his own innocence.
Aside from K., other characters include Huld (K.'s defense attorney), Titorelli (a painter), the
priest, the inspector and many others.
The novel has quite a few interpretations. One of them tackles the problem of totalitarianism, a
form of inaccessible government in which authority monitors and controls every aspect of daily
lives of ordinary citizens.
I enjoyed reading the book from start to finish. Curiosity and K.'s tension keep you entertained
throughout the pages. I definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it yet. There is also
a brilliant film adaptation by Orson Welles made in 1962, starring Anthony Perkins as Josef K,
which I also highly recommend.