Over the years, I've found a lot of TV to be similar, or predictable, so I transitioned over to books. I love it. I read daily – sometimes a lot, sometimes a little. I appreciate both fiction and non-fiction, but recently, I've been all-in on fiction. Probably once a year, maybe from these communities on reddit, or from youtubers or whatever, I get this itch. You probably know it – the one that pushes you to pick-up a classic book and… I don't know… prove to yourself you're a real reader, not just a beach reader. Maybe you don't get that feeling. I've accepted it. That's some context for why I picked up The Brother's Karamazov.
The last time I scratched this itch was with East of Eden, which was unbelievable. Unlike a lot of the criticisms about TBK, I had no trouble keeping up with this book. The hype intimidated me, everyone saying how dense it was an whatnot. It was dense, sure (I read Ivan's poem twice after restarting in the middle once), but it all held my interest. I read it in four weeks. My first Dostoevsky and….. (spoilers below)
I liked it. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was good. I feel weird criticizing one of the most celebrated books ever, but for the sake of discussion, I can't help but think it was too ambitious. That it read like two big ideas smashed together. The stronger of which, in my opinion, was the murder and trial, but that could've been written in 300-400 pages. There was so much on Zosima and Alyosha, all of this God vs No God discussion and symbolism. Alyosha's purity, especially after he kisses Ivan, what he represents and his interactions symbolic and heavily present in the first half of the novel. Ivan's stance on it – his poem, his intensity – reduced more to his actions as soon as the murder happened. All of that meaning and momentum, while there, downsized tremendously. The tone shifted. I found myself wondering if this book was started as a way to compare purity, evil, love, religion between three brothers and their complicated father, but then hit a roadblock, and pivoted to a court room drama.
Yes, this is big and philosophical and has some really neat ideas. I am certainly not mad I read it. I generally liked it. Would I go out of my way to recommend it, especially to someone who's not seeking out older, ambitious work? No. Would I recommend it to people who are? Sure. But I just can't shake this feeling that there were a lot of chapters just for the sake of… I don't know… personal commentary? Philosophy? I don't want to rub anyone the wrong way by saying this, just my opinion. Curious to hear if others felt similarly, or if different, why?
by S_B_L