Metamorphosis (Paperback or Softback)

One morning, Gregor Samsa awakens to discover that his life-and his very body-have been transformed beyond recognition.

Gregor has devoted himself to supporting his parents and younger sister through a job he despises. Yet when he inexplicably awakens transformed into a monstrous insect-like creature, his greatest concern is not the impossible horror of his condition, but his inability to go to work. Confined to his bedroom and increasingly cut off from the human world, Gregor watches as shock and concern within his family gradually give way to fear, resentment, and rejection.

Darkly absurd, unsettling, and deeply tragic, Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis explores alienation, obligation, identity, isolation, and the fragile value society places upon a human life. As Gregor becomes less recognizably human, those around him are forced to reveal something of their own humanity-or lack of it. Haunting and strangely compassionate, this unforgettable story asks a disturbing question: when a person can no longer provide what others expect of him, how much of their love will remain?