Penguin Classics Crime And Punishment (Paperback)

What follows is the truly fascinating story of the aftermath of the crime, with a very clever, wise and interesting police detective playing cat and mouse with Raskolnikov, at the same time his life is crumbling down in guilt, paranoia, and inoportune events happening around him, to his family and friends. The story ends and begins within only a few days. Raskolnikov's mother and sister arrive in Saint Petersburg looking for him. His sister is about to marry an older, egotistic man whom Raskolnikov reads from day one as a future bad husband for his sensible, wise and beautiful sister. Meanwhile, Raskolnikov gets involved in the tragic end of the Marmeladov family. Marmeladov is a drunkard whom Raskolnikov befriends ina low-budget bar, where they have a conversation on morals that will be central to the philosophical background of the story. He dies and leaves her family broke. His wife is very near death from tuberculosis, and the eldest girl has been forced to become a prostitute, in spite of being an angelical and saintly girl.

So events unfold and the logical end arrives. The plot is great and it moves faster and faster, with tension reaching exasperating heights. The book is filled with unforgettable characters: the dark, troubled but in the end good Raskolnikov, a good guy with bad ideas; his mother and sister; the sinister Petrovich, who wants to be adored by the sister; the police detective, a great guy; Sonia, the saintly prostitute; and Svidrigailov, former boss and harasser of Raskolnikov's sister, a man so degenerate, perverse and evil.

Other reviewers are right that Raskolnikov's philosophy is a twisted and evil one, but some go so far as to say that this philosophy is espoused by Dostoevsky himself. I am convinced this is not the case. The novel clearly shows that moral relativism can only conduce to crime, tragedy, death, guilt and... punishment. In the best case, after the crime is committed, there is the hope of redemption through repent and love, as well as by the Christian values and faith. I think there is no doubt that, by every possible standard, this is one of the best pieces of literature ever penned. It has everything a masterpiece must have: a plot that hooks you up right from the start, deep, well-rounded characters. a dark moral and everything tightly knitted together by a master of the craft. Come stay a few days in this hotttest of summers in Petersburg.

'Crime and punishment' is able to integrate the readers' logic with the emotive as a way to illuminate his philosophical preoccupations which are by no means trite. (And anyways, for Dostoevesky's time, the style of writing is far less elaborate than, say...Tolstoy or Dickens).

You can read this as simply a thrilling crime drama, but more than that, it delivers an essay on meaning in modernity. You may scoff at its end implications ( by all means, please do), but i believe it was written by a refined artistic mind--no post-modern cynic could hope to equal such an achievement. ever... so filled with smug contempt that the Literary Snob is incapable of producing anything with sincerity and truth.

Raskolnikov, Sonya, Razumukin, and the rest are all extremely likeable and sympathetic characters. Each one has their own problems and struggles told in this beautiful book. And the work of the investigator Porfiry is wonderful to read.

Every literature fan should own a copy of this book.