The Brothers Karamazov: Disappointing, yet still Fulfilling

More than half of the reviewers on Goodreads gave The Brothers Karamazov five stars, many lauding it as the best book ever written and marvelling at its perfection. In other words, this novel’s reputation is super impressive, but in the face of all that praise, I have to say I didn’t love it. I really wanted to love it, since Crime and Punishment (C&P) is one of my favorites. Upon learning about my adoration of C&P, at least two of my literary professors recommended The Brothers Karamazov, their devotion very clear. 

While I am glad I read it, this book took effort to get through. At times I even found it boring. I would catch myself counting the pages to the next chapter so I would feel more accomplished putting the book down again. I didn’t feel that way for the entire book, but perhaps for its majority. This is definitely not a light read in any way. If you approach this book primarily in order to learn philosophy, you won’t be disappointed. But if you’re expecting to be enthralled in an entertaining novel, I recommend C&P.

There is hardly a main plot of The Brothers Karamazov, but many subplots (perhaps too many, in spite of being entertaining in their own right), and a lot of philosophical digressions and long speeches. The catalyst for the book (the murder, as the philosophy is cloaked in a murder mystery) didn’t happen until about halfway through the book.

The novel was a rather long journey just to be disappointed by the ending. While the trial was philosophically interesting and I don’t object to its outcome, the last chapter of the novel was anticlimactic and extremely unsatisfying. I read nearly 800 pages of emotional turmoil, romantic drama, and philosophical struggle. I’m sure the unparalleled Dostoevsky knew what he was doing, but a part of me thought I deserved a better ending. 

Despite the above complaints, I was nevertheless again impressed with Dostoevsky’s ability to capture the complexity of the human character and the ambiguity of vices and virtues within us all. In true Dostoevskian fashion, he spares no one and delves into the multi-faceted human condition. He mentions Gogol’s troika from Dead Souls, which I think delivers a crucial point of The Brothers Karamazov: humans are complex creatures and should embrace both the good and the bad, because that is reality. 

Again, I’m glad I read it, because I’m not sure I’ve ever read anything quite like it. I learned a lot about the interpretation of character, which is something I look for when reading a novel (even though my favorite character is the rather minor character of proud young Kolya, as the three brothers didn’t really speak to me as individuals… which I guess is genius because it strikes me as incredibly realistic). However, I am rather disappointed that I didn’t fall in love with the great The Brothers Karamazov.