Stefan Schalkwyk's Reviews > Crime and Punishment

One of those books that has helped shape my outlook on life in a new way.

really hard to read but soo good enjoyed it as much as I hated it. made me feel all icky and depressed while reading it. would not recommend for people who are currently going through something.

what really impressed me about this book is the characters and how well they are written. they feel real and even though rodin has committed a crime he still is a normal person just like you and me. he isn't written as some weird deviant that we can't relate to and while reading you see yourself in him constantly. this makes you root for him even when he is guilty and you go through his emotional journey with him.
there is also a narcissist in the book that is equally as well written and when you spend some time in his mind you can almost understand why he does what he does.
Sonia and Donia are some of the most well written strong and compassionate characters that I have come across. Both being able to consol and sepport Rodin without validating what he did being great influences on him.

what I am trying to get at is these characters are normal humans even when they are not right and this book makes it clear how easy it is for any of us to fall into these states that would bring us to commit atrocities that we would never do outherwise. and at the same time the book is good at describing the consequences that this would have on you and not just the people it was done to, how it compromises you as a person and hurts and destroys you aswell.