Classics Club #32: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevesky

Was it really the hag I killed? It was myself I killed, not her! I murdered myself in one fell blow, for all time!

It has taken me many false starts to try and read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, but I finally managed to do the deed. I’m not sure why it has taken so much effort for me to read this Russian classic. The characters are well developed and believable. The plot is suspenseful and compelling. The issues it explores are timeless and significant. And yet the first four or five times I started it I ran out of steam about a quarter of the way in. This time I was able to stay committed to finishing it, and I am glad I did.

Crime and Punishment is the story of Roskolnikov, a poor student who makes the tragic decision to murder a much-despised pawn broker for her money. The novel follows Roskolnikov as the consequences of his actions begin to take a mental and spiritual toll on him. Dostoevsky gives the reader a fascinating look into the mind and soul of this tortured character.

The novel grew on me as I read it, and the last quarter of the book was some of the most compelling writing I’ve ever read. As with all Russian novels translated into English, it is always a challenge to keep the names straight. But Dostoevsky’s writing is direct and dominated by dialogue, which keeps the novel moving fairly quickly. The plot does slow down occasionally when characters have lengthy conversations, but these are so deep and philosophical that I enjoyed reading them.

While I like Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov better, Crime and Punishment is still an excellent novel, and is worth reading by anyone who appreciates a well told tale of substance and significance.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated by Oliver Ready
Serialized in The Russian Messenger, 1866
Kindle Edition: Penguin, 2014
Print length: 736 pages