A review by morningtide
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was interesting enough all the way through for me, just from the bouncing back and forth in Raskolnikov's mind about how guilty he should be feeling for his crime - his cycles through delirium, acceptance, acknowledgment and self-validation for his actions kept me thinking of him as a real (albeit kinda crazy) person and not just as a murderer or a criminal. I found that I had to constantly remind myself of the details of his crime to remember just what kind of person he was.

Having Sonya there as Raskolnikov's foil was really what made this book enjoyable for me. Where he is weak in his beliefs, she is faithful. She is a victim of her circumstances and he continues to perpetrate her own. Yet he has the hubris to think they have "fallen to the same level" and that just strikes me as the attitude of the kinda dude that would commit this crime.

My biggest gripe with the book has to be the epilogue. I could say it almost ruined the book for me. Raskolnikov finally admitting his crime is so shocking (even thought we've known the whole time) and so satisfying. It would have been an abrupt end to not know his repercussions, but finding them out was almost disappointing. Having the epilogue felt like having all the weight taper off the issue. I would have rather been left in the dark on the repercussions of Raskolnikov's crime, beyond the punishment by his own conscience and mental state. I would have been left to dwell on a lot more.