The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

This has been on my reading list for some time and I've finally been able to finish it as book 2 for the Classic Challenge. It's been difficult in the past to get through the first 150 pages but I found a different translation and I think that made it easier to read. The Brothers Karamazov is a deeply psychological novel and very modern for that reason. The brothers are 3 brothers, the older is a half-brother, sons of a neglectful father. The father Karamazov is what we might call in modern psychological terms a narcissist. He's concerned only with himself and pleasure. The elder son, Dimitri, is a lot like him but still capable of feelings for other people. The second son Ivan is closed off emotionally, highly intelligent, a man of reason. The youngest son Alyosha, is deeply spiritual and kind. He follows the teachings of a mystic monk and tries his best to help whenever possible. The author viewed Alyosha as the hero of the book. The story unfolds around a love triangle between Dimitri, his father, and a beautiful but troubled woman Grushenka. Within this story of sexual jealousy and male competition, Dostoevsky explores the themes most important to him i.e. the existence of God, man's belief or non belief in God. the nature of human suffering, punishment, and redemption. In other words, he covers a lot of ground! About halfway through the book, the father Karmazov is murdered and a large amount of money is stolen. The rest of the book continues with it's fundamental themes but now it is also a murder mystery and a courtroom drama. I think what makes the book so powerful besides it's concern with fundamental questions of existence, is the exploration of the human heart. Dostoevsky is so good at showing how good and bad impulses exist side by side in human beings. Ultimately, his answer is that good cannot triumph without faith and of course that's something that continues to be debated as society tries to chart a secular path with it's ups and downs. This is definitely a book with a lot of ideas, I recommend it.