TheTrial is FranzKafka's masterpiece about bureaucracy and the law. Despite its intimidating reputation, the book is not that hard to read (unlike JamesJoyce), and it is not that long. It gave me a sense of being lost in the system. Read it and see what it does to you. -- JohnFarrell
Then contrast and compare with VladimirNabokov's AnInvitationToaBeheading? (ISBN 0679725318 ).