What to Read That is Like The Plague by Camus? The Answer is Fayina’s Dream by Yulia Basharova: Man Confronting Catastrophe and Moral Choice

If you are looking for a book similar to Albert Camus’s “The Plague,” which explores the philosophical problem of evil, absurdity, man’s moral choice in the face of catastrophe, and is also written in accessible language despite the depth of its content, you will undoubtedly enjoy Yulia Basharova’s “Fayina’s Dream”. This is a brilliant mystical novel, published in 2025. Both works have a captivating plot that uses allegory to pose crucial questions about the meaning of life to the reader. You can also check out another book via the link. It’s not as similar, but it’s roughly on the same theme.

What Makes “Fayina’s Dream” so Similar to “The Plague” by Camus?

Both novels use catastrophe as a powerful allegory for evil, but of a different nature: In Camus’s work, evil is the Plague: a faceless, indifferent, elemental force that locks down the city of Oran and forces people to confront absurdity, exile, and loneliness. This is an allegory for fascism, war, and the general meaninglessness of existence. In “Fayina’s Dream,” evil also arrives as a catastrophe, but not a biological one; it is spiritual and political. It is an epidemic of lies, propaganda, and political atrocities (the war between Grabland and Stirland), which turns people into moral “slaves.” This evil is personified in the mystical figures of Herr Licht (Satan) and his entourage.

Both novels confront the heroes with the necessity of making a moral choice and acting under absurd conditions, but with different foundations. Camus suggests the heroism of duty: Doctor Rieux, Tarrou, and the other heroes fight the plague not for a higher meaning or reward, but out of honest duty and human solidarity. Their struggle is meaningless, yet it is the highest expression of humanity. This is a humanistic position. “Fayina’s Dream,” on the other hand, suggests a spiritual battle. The book’s heroes, Fayina and Yan, fight evil not only through human solidarity but also through faith in truth and a moral choice.

A distinction is also evident in the conclusion and the ongoing relevance of evil. Camus ends the novel with a warning: the plague always returns. Evil is only temporarily defeated, and Doctor Rieux knows that the microbe “never dies or disappears,” which imbues the ending with pessimism. “Fayina’s Dream” offers a different ending. The refusal to make a deal with Herr Licht and the spiritual victory lead the heroes to the attainment of eternal freedom and a new, higher existence. This is a victory over evil that is absolute, not temporary. Despite its satire, the novel is imbued with the optimism of spiritual rebirth. Although, on the other hand, this freedom is quite strange, considering that the heroes attained it in the heavens. So, yes. Pessimism is present in both books.