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A review by matchamellow
Crime and Punishment (Abridged) by Fyodor Dostoevsky

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Crime and Punishment is a masterpiece. Like much of Dostoevsky's work it's a work of philosophy written as a narrative. In this book we follow Rodya and the crimes he commits and how those crimes change who he is as a person. Every single character in this story is complex and important to building the greater narrative of objective morality. Does Rodya regret his crimes? Is the punishment from himself or society? Does he actions warrant the consequences? It's all terribly complicated and in my view a very human look at what is justifiable in ones own view. 

There were times while I was reading this book that I couldn't help but think of the movie Uncut Gems, where your watching this character make wrong decision after wrong decision and hurting the people who he claims to care for. It's that building anxiety as you watch Rodya make decisions that will forever change his life and those around him.

I'm sure as I sit with this book for longer I'll have more to say. It's not a book that leaves a person easily I assume. There is a reason it is a classic after all. 
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