When I saw my niece home from college for her summer break, I told her I was reading this book. Would you believe, so was she? Now, what kind of coincidence is that? Maybe it is a case of great minds travelling parallel paths...
This is my first venture into Russian literature, and I guarantee, it won't be my last. I loved this book for so many reasons. The story is a complex psychological murder drama that kept me wanting to turn every single page. Though I wanted to see how it ended, I didn't want it to end. There are scenes that are so vivid and tense, that I swear I was holding my breath.
Our main character plans and executes a murder and robbery of an old woman who is a pawnbroker. His reason for doing it was not due to his poverty, but to prove a theory he had. He then suffers a physical and mental breakdown. He is being investigated by a very wily detective-which puts so much pressure on him that he starts to fall to pieces, page by page. It was fascinating to read. Other characters in the book have their own problems that are intertwined with his.
There is love, action, suspense and more. There is nothing formulatic about this book, at all. If all Russian novels are like this, I am going to have some terrific reading in my future.
The author paints a vivid picture of the poverty and social circumstances of St. Petersburg at the time--without making it preachy.
The ending was very, very satisfying. So often, an ending is a disappointment, but this one was terrific.
I had trouble with the names. There are so many complicated names to be learned for each character. I can't pronounce any of them, either. That is my only complaint--but what can you expect from a Russian novel, English names?
A must read.
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