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A review by 73mona
The Meek One by Fyodor Dostoevsky
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
First book of 2024 and also my first Dostojewski. What a way to start the year.
A short, around 50 pages, story inspired by a news article Fyodor read in the newspaper. An unequal marriage between a pawnshop-owner and a 16 year old orphan, twisted by pride and lack of communication. The young girl is driven to suicide by the unhappy union and her husbands gradual change from being cold and unnerving to an obsessive man, willing to die at her hands.
The narrator is as unlikable as it gets. With no consideration for her well-being and feelings, he forces his own ideas of marriage onto her, ignoring her needs in the process. Throughout the text, we rarely find the main characters actually contemplating how his young wife might be feeling and why. This clearly shows us that this love, he claims to feel for her oh so deeply, is very superficial and server only his self-interests.
I did like the writing style and will definitely have my go on a longer, more acclaimed Dostojewski work.
A short, around 50 pages, story inspired by a news article Fyodor read in the newspaper. An unequal marriage between a pawnshop-owner and a 16 year old orphan, twisted by pride and lack of communication. The young girl is driven to suicide by the unhappy union and her husbands gradual change from being cold and unnerving to an obsessive man, willing to die at her hands.
The narrator is as unlikable as it gets. With no consideration for her well-being and feelings, he forces his own ideas of marriage onto her, ignoring her needs in the process. Throughout the text, we rarely find the main characters actually contemplating how his young wife might be feeling and why. This clearly shows us that this love, he claims to feel for her oh so deeply, is very superficial and server only his self-interests.
I did like the writing style and will definitely have my go on a longer, more acclaimed Dostojewski work.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide