The Stranger by Albert Camus. Originally written in french language. The author won the nobel prize of literature in 1957 at the age of 44 and three years later he died in a car accident.
The book tells the story of a man who killed another man in accidental or incidental circumstances. The entire book describes the train of thoughts while he is in jail waiting first for his trial and then for his execution. As time goes on, he accepts his meaningless life and fate. At the very end of the novel he opens his heart to the gentle indifference of the universe while he anticipates that on the day of his execution a huge crowd of spectators will greet him with howls of loathing.
Life is absurd, driven by randomness and lack of sense. Because there is no order and due to the fact that our will has no power on the external forces of the universe, we are left to ourselves to choose what to make of our existence. We are free to simply choose to be happy with who we are and with what we have. Everyone is different and has different backgrounds but we all share a common final destiny: death.
The question of whether there is or not an afterlife is useless. As useless as wishing to be rich or famous. It’s not going to happen. On the other hand, we can choose how to react and how to behave in the face of adverse situations. Being happy and tranquil is a personal choice.