Will I love Crime and Punishment?

I loved the way Dostoevsky took me deep inside the head of a murderer and showed how his crime almost destroyed him long before he was caught.

Though I found the killings shocking and appalling, I couldn’t help but sympathise with the killer as he fell apart. I later read that many of the characters represented currents of thought that were influential in Dostoyevsky’s day. Much of that went above my head, but that was okay because the characters were well-drawn and came across as real people, not ciphers.

One thing that shocked me was the crushing nature of the… show more.

Observation of a human soul looking for the truth being destroyed from the inside

The perfect crime? Actually not! It was so imperfect that it turned into the perfect crime by just pure luck. No clues were left behind. In fact, there was nothing to trace the murder back to the murderer except his own guilt. 

His guilt turned out to be his biggest punishment. When he finally surrenders, he feels at peace–the long-eluded peace. 

A classic must-read for anyone who is satiated by oxygen. I love the psychology of the main character. His decline after committing an atrocity is notable for its detail. The concern shown for him by his friends and family, who do not know the truth, feels natural and warranted in spite of the reader's knowledge.

Is it possible to feel empathy for someone who commits such an act? In a strange way, I found myself questioning my own biases on the topics of crime and punishment after reading this classic. 

A true classic with themes as equally relevant today as they were over 150 years ago.

I first read it when in HMP Dorchester, a Victorian-era prison that is now closed. Told from the perspective of a student who unintentionally becomes a murderer, it compels the reader to think deeply about how the routes into crime can be many and varied, along with the nature of power.

Whilst very little of the book covers time spent in custody, before the end it shows the main criminal protagonist, Raskalnikov, as achieving a level of redemption. The book also discusses elements of… show more.

This classic novel about struggling for redemption after a horrific crime affected me deeply. Raskolnikov’s poverty and radical ideology drive him to robbery and murder.

As a lapsed Catholic, I was gripped by Dostoevsky’s rich exploration of why Raskolnikov did it, examining altruistic Christian ideals alongside new and dangerous notions about the prerogatives of “exceptional” men. The novel virtually invented the crime drama, with the original troubled killer pursued by the original wily detective.

The cast of characters, from the sympathetic Sonya, whose religious faith moves Raskolnikov, to the unscrupulous Svidrigaylov, who embodies irredeemable depravity, is as rich as the… show more.

I keep rereading this amazing novel!

This is the most faithful translation I’ve found (and quicker than reading the Russian!). 

Even the famous translator Garnett simply rewrote little things she didn’t understand, like the scene renaming little Lida as Lenia (i.e., as Helena, who helped convert the Roman Empire to Christianity, bringing the True Cross to Constantinople). 

I love the texture and naturalness of Dostoyevsky's writing, and Crime and Punishment is the ultimate blend of his gifts as a novelist of supreme skill.

The book focuses on a young, intelligent former student (Raskalnikov) who commits a tragic act, unknowingly in pursuit of his own humanity, but his guilt and paranoia begin to dominate his existence. It is through his sense of guilt that we as the reader feel a growing sense of claustrophobia that is almost unbearable, yet made immensely engaging by Dostoyevsky’s depth-filled writing. 

Raskalnikov is complex in that he is not evil or bad in… show more.

I read this book when I was 21 years old and still trying to figure out the meaning of life, as was the main character of this novel, a brilliant young man named Raskolnikov, who murders an old woman, an evil pawnbroker, in the belief he is doing something to benefit society certain he is smart enough and emotionally strong enough to deal with the ramifications of his deed, only to find he is overwhelmed with guilt and must pay the price for his actions. 

A kindly detective Porfiry, helps Raskolnikov come to the conclusion that he had to confess… show more.

I might not have come across this book if it was not on the list of required reading in school.

It was the first time that I felt excited about reading a book. This book, as all the other writings of Dostoevsky, have a soul and penetrate into the deepest depth of the human psyche.

Crime and Punishment was written in 1886, but it is a timeless classic. If you are interested in exploring and understanding the paradox of life’s challenges, this book cannot be missed!

(Other must-read classics written by Fyodor Dostoevsky between 1869 and 1880: Brothers… show more.