angelsbeforeman 's review for:

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky

4.25

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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myshkin was a very interesting character, and the title of the novel refers to him, since the people around him would often call him an idiot. sometimes i disagreed with them, but other times i agreed. he's a very naive and innocent person, trying to understand everyone and be good to them. that often doesn't help him at all. he's obsessed with his faith to extremist lengths, which is what often made me agree with the people calling him an idiot. other times, when he was just trying to do the right thing, i thought it was stupid of everyone else to demean him. he's often irritating when it comes to discussing class, which isn't really surprising since he's a wealthy prince. he's also hilariously scared of women. a super interesting protagonist.
i did enjoy aglaya as a character, because she's the opposite of myshkin in the sense that she's not a passive person at all. she's still not perfect morally though, far from it.
like in his other novels, dostoevsky uses this book to explore a variety of topics, but i feel like he especially focused on the faith aspect here. this was an incredibly entertaining read because so much happens. i thought the pacing was a bit off, and i didn't enjoy it as much as the brothers karamazov and crime and punishment, but it's still excellent.