The Brothers Karamazov

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

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In a word: reprehensible

In a sentence: A family of scoundrels is reunited after many years until driving each other apart once more.

Synopsis: The three Karamazov brothers and their father are brought together and set at odds. When the climactic crime is committed, the questions that remain are who and why.

Reactions: I went into The Brothers Karamazov with no idea what it was actually about. The only things I expected were those I knew I can rely on Dostoevsky to convey: moral quandary, vivid characters, and bitter emotion. Dostoevsky once again did not disappoint.

The novel made me think about the difference between justice and fairness. As a law student these ideas are often put at odds with one another, and, as this novel culminates in a court scene, so they do here as well. Though justice is not always fairly retributive, in this text everyone arguably gets what they deserve in the end.

No person is wholly good or evil as it may often seem in works of fiction, but a quality novel such as this has characters representative of the multifaceted nature of every human. The most shameful woman can love the most deeply, and the most intelligent brother can be the most spiteful. In this book although the fairness of the ending may be arguable, no single character is completely innocent, as is the Karamazov nature, and each experiences an arguably just ending in their own right.

Read if: you have an interest in relationships, morals, justice, and an element of who-done-it just subtle enough to keep the reader hooked to the very end.