by Franz Kafka
First published 2025
Gregor Samsa follows the same routine every day. He wakes up, catches his usual train, and goes to work to pay his family's debts. This predictable life shatters when he wakes up one morning transformed into something inhuman. His family sees him as dangerous vermin, something untouchable that must be hidden away. What hurts more than his physical transformation is becoming a weight his loved ones must carry. Kafka's story reveals how quickly those closest to us can turn away when we become inconvenient. Gregor discovers that his worth was tied only to what he could provide, and without that utility, he faces isolation and rejection. The tale examines both cruelty and unexpected moments of compassion as his family struggles with their new reality.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, 20th-century, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Europe
Period: 20th Century
96 pages · Paperback · Arcturus
Content warnings: body-horror, mental-illness