"dostoevsky"

1880 · Fyodor Dostoevsky · 796 pages · Literary Fiction

Dostoevsky's final novel is a massive, demanding, and ultimately overwhelming exploration of faith, doubt, family, and human nature. The characters are so fully realized that they feel less like fictional creations and more like people you've met and can't stop thinking about. The philosophical arguments embedded in the story have lost none of their force in over a century. It requires patience, and certain stretches will test even devoted readers, but the payoff is a novel that reshapes how you think about morality, guilt, and what people owe each other. Few books in any language reach this high.

1866 · Fyodor Dostoevsky · 656 pages · Psychological Fiction

Crime and Punishment is not a comfortable read, but it's the kind of discomfort that feels valuable rather than gratuitous. Dostoevsky puts you inside a mind coming apart and then slowly, painfully reassembling itself, and the experience lingers well after the final page. Few novels have done as much with guilt and moral consequence, and few have aged as well.