📖Book Review: White Nights by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

White Nights lacks the intense bitterness and cynicism that characterises Crime and Punishment. While White Nights focuses on the personal journey of healing, Crime and Punishment delves deeper.

I recently read "White Nights" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and found it quite different (and disappointing) from "Crime and Punishment." Here are my humble thoughts-

1- Pacing and Content: While it's clear that "White Nights," a short story, is not expected to match the depth and complexity of "Crime and Punishment," I found the experience of reading it somewhat uneven. The narrative felt both slow and rushed at times. Although "White Nights" delves into themes of unrequited love, longing, solitude, and loneliness, which are significant in their own right, I found myself wishing for more—more suspense, more drama, and more of everything.

2- Character and Thematic Comparison: To me, "White Nights" seems like a forerunner to "Crime and Punishment," alluding to the development of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, the protagonist of the latter.

However, "White Nights" lacks the intense bitterness and cynicism that characterizes "Crime and Punishment." While "White Nights" focuses on the personal journey of healing, "Crime and Punishment" delves deeper into themes of guilt and redemption!