A review by leonormsousa
White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky

emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

NOTE: Although this book is technically called “White Nights” it actually contains two short stories by Fyodor Dostoevsky: “White Nights” and “Bobok”. I will be reviewing them separately. 

TRIGGER WARNINGS: 
White Nights: 
stalking 
 
Bobok: 
death

REP:
none

"WHITE NIGHTS" REVIEW
I’ve read White Nights twice, with 4/5 months in between and maybe I’m just a sceptic when it comes to love, but it somehow lost some of its magic in between reads. Nonetheless, it was still a beautifully written short story and one I believe to have been my perfect introduction to Russian literature (I had read Lolita before but since it was written originally in English I only consider it half-Russsian). 

The narrator of White Nights was a complete delight of a character. I identified with him in a way I hadn’t identified with a character in such a long time and “his” section of the book (”The Second Night”) was by far my favourite! There’s something comforting and yet painful to read about a dreamer, someone who spends so much time inside their head, that they leave their real life in the background. The tragic ending that follows the escalation of hope only adds to the melancholic feeling that chases the dreamer readers. 

On the other hand, I was not so much a fan of Nastenka, neither did I find her story particularly interesting or relatable. In fact, I was not able to see Nastenka as similar to the narrator, as a dreamer, as is implied by the book. Additionally and although I was rooting for our narrator’s happiness, I had trouble seeing their short relationship as love. I’m not an insta-love kind of gall and this romance did not convince me. 

That of course doesn’t mean I wasn’t still heartbroken in the end. Dostoevsky writing has all the magic I was already expecting from it and even if I were to hate everything else about this short story, it would still be worth reading just for its magnificent and capturing prose. 

I’ll definitely recommend this short story to anyone wishing to initiate themselves in Russian Literature but also to all my fellow booknerds who I believe will see a part of themselves mirrored in the main character. 

"BOBOK" REVIEW
I found Bobok unexpectedly once I reached the end of White Nights and although I had never heard anything about it before, I went for it. In the end, I believe its main problem is its size… 

Bobok is funny and witty but it tastes like “not enough”. It’s 25 (very small) pages of a very promising story that doesn’t have the space or time to fully develop. You’re introduced to a cast of 12 characters (according to Wikipedia) and although that may be totally my fault, it was a bit hard to keep up with who was who. 

It still gave me some laughs and I would love to have seen this as a full-length novel. But as it is, it’s just a fun little read that show’s you a different side of the Russian master Dostoevsky. 
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