The Metamorphosis (Die Verwandlung) is a novella by Franz Kafka which tells a bizarre story with a rather mundane conclusion. It's surreal premise and claustrophobic environment keeps the reader guessing throughout.
The story is set in an early 20th century Germany city and takes place in the household of the Mr and Mrs. Samsa who live with their son and daughter - Gregory and Grete. Gregory is a hard-working salesman who supports his family, while the rest of the family members are dependent on him. So far, so good. Now one fine day, Gregory turns into a weird human-sized bug and what follows is the turn of events that occur in their household and how Gregory copes with his newfound cockroach-like body. Doesn't make sense? Well.. too bad for you.
Now that Mr. Gregory, the cockroach, is incapable of supporting the family, it's up to his parents and his sister to provide for themselves and also take care of him. At the end of the story, the sister is shown to have matured and the parents also seem to have regained their health. I guess the question is - what was the metamorphosis and what changed?
Warning! - The answer might trigger an existential crisis.
4/5 - would read again