First Impressions of Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

This is the kindle version for $2.68.  If you do not want the Kindle version go to the page scroll down to the format section and pick the type you would like.  They have paperback, hardcover, and Audio formats all at very low prices.

After reading over a hundred pages the best word to describe this book is intense.  The main character is Raskolnikov a crazy individual with dark thoughts of murder.  The author plays this story out in a small town in Russia.  I found it quite difficult to keep track of where they were since the names were shown as A___ or F___.  I am not sure why the names appear this way, but this makes it very difficult to immerse yourself within the plot environment.  The writing style is also something which an average English reader may struggle with.  The writing is not bad of course just very different from English literature.

I think that Dostevsky has an amazing ability to develop characters.  The murderer in his story is extremely easy to relate to.  He creates this character to show how little difference a criminal has to the non criminals within society.  With Raskolnikov he is able to care deeply about people especially his family though shows some signs of being narcissistic.  The motives the author uses is very understandable.  The man picked his victim out of hate for the individual rather than some psychotic reason.

The plot is thick with a nice mix of action and emotion.  The author plays the story out so smoothly.  The literature has a very poetic feel and artistic use of words.  The best example that I could give of a relatable author within the English writing community would be Poe.  Dostoevsky just like Poe has the amazing ability to rip open societies hidden characteristics. After reading you have an understanding of why criminals commit crime. Their motivations differ only slightly from ours and the thought process is very minutely.  You walk in a killers shoes and you are able to relate.

Overall this book is definitely worth reading.  There is a reason that it is on most top hundred books and is considered the greatest book to come from Russia.  I believe it is truly one of the greatest books I have read and therefore I plan on reading it much more slowly than other taking my time to immerse myself in the beautiful writing.  The book is extremely cheap on both kindle and mass market paperback though I recommend getting the book in hardcover like I did.  Leaving this book out of the collection of any reader would be a travesty.