Book Review: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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“The Brothers Karamazov” by Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of the best Russian novels out there. It’s quite a chunky but definitely well worth the read. I recommend this book to anyone who loves family saga, murder mysteries, and discussions around morality.

“The Brother’s Karamazov” is a murder mystery but it is not only about the murder; it’s about characters’ motives, psychology, and differences. This book is Dostoevsky at his finest.

The story follows Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov’s three sons: there’s Dmitri who’s impulsive, Ivan the rational, and the young novice Alyosha. Through these main characters, Dostoevsky captures Russian society in both a historical and social context.

The father of the three Karamazov brothers is murdered and consequently, begins an investigation and a trial that will uncover the truth as the lines between innocence and corruption start to blur.

I wasn’t expecting much when I started reading “The Brothers Karamazov” due to my first exposure of Dostoevsky with his other novel “The Idiot.”

I knew three things that the book was a) long and b) complex and c) had lots of characters.

And to put is simply: I was right.

What I didn’t know was that the narration was so intricate, the plot so expansive, and the characters much much much more tangible. I could actually sympathize with the characters and understand their motives without actually agreeing with them.

Every little detail, which was incredibly tedious at times, was necessary for the finale.

To sum up, it was dense. Dragging at points in the narration concerning topics of morality, psychology, philosophy, and especially theology. Dostoevsky is a master at bringing in irrefutable arguments without any concrete answers to the questions he poses.

Overall, it was a great read and one of the best novels in Russian literature.

“Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.”

“What is hell? I maintain that it is the suffering of being unable to love.” 

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