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A review by thebookishlawyer1999
Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Dostoevsky gives an eerie description of what is wrong with the world and what is wrong with the people around us which is very much relatable in our current context as well.
The book is divided into two parts, the first part "The Underground" is where mainly the author opens up his heart and fills it with ramblings upon ramblings which he quotes as statements straight from the "underground". Now this is my humble opinion, but what I think is that the term "underground" in this book is a metaphor which does not refer to a literal underground, but it is the depth of our heart, the underground into each one of us where we hide feelings, words, perspective which never sees the light of day. The ramblings are also from the deep part of the author's heart where he symbolically criticizes the shortcomings and the tyranny of the authorities and those who claim to be as "normal people". For me, it is this part of the book which truly shines when it comes to convey the true essence of the book. The second part of the book deals with some parts of the narrator's life where we get to see what kind of a person he is and his morally flawed perspective of viewing things. Which was alright, but when it is read with and is made relatable with the first, that's when the true mastery of Mr. Dostoevsky comes to life. This is my second Dostoevsky literature, and it is definitely not on par with the levels that "Crime and Punishment" went, but it was a very good read nonetheless.
The book is divided into two parts, the first part "The Underground" is where mainly the author opens up his heart and fills it with ramblings upon ramblings which he quotes as statements straight from the "underground". Now this is my humble opinion, but what I think is that the term "underground" in this book is a metaphor which does not refer to a literal underground, but it is the depth of our heart, the underground into each one of us where we hide feelings, words, perspective which never sees the light of day. The ramblings are also from the deep part of the author's heart where he symbolically criticizes the shortcomings and the tyranny of the authorities and those who claim to be as "normal people". For me, it is this part of the book which truly shines when it comes to convey the true essence of the book. The second part of the book deals with some parts of the narrator's life where we get to see what kind of a person he is and his morally flawed perspective of viewing things. Which was alright, but when it is read with and is made relatable with the first, that's when the true mastery of Mr. Dostoevsky comes to life. This is my second Dostoevsky literature, and it is definitely not on par with the levels that "Crime and Punishment" went, but it was a very good read nonetheless.