Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

'Crime? What crime?... My killing a loathsome, harmful louse, a filthy old moneylender woman... and you call that a crime?

Raskolnikov, a destitute and desperate former student, wanders through the slums of St Petersburg and commits a random murder without remorse or regret. He imagines himself to be a great man, a Napoleon: acting for a higher purpose beyond conventional moral law. But as he embarks on a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a suspicious police investigator, Raskolnikov is pursued by the growing voice of his conscience and finds the noose of his own guilt tightening around his neck. Only Sonya, a downtrodden prostitute, can offer him the chance of redemption. 

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Crime and Punishment begins with Raskolnikov, a down on his luck, former student as he is sneaking out of his 'cupboard' of a room without being seen by his landlady to whom he owes rent. What follows is the story of his decline into possible madness and definite criminal activity. A desperate man, he decides to kill a local loan shark in order to steal her money and in turn use it to improve his circumstances and those of others around him. At the time of the killing Raskolnikov feels no sense of regret but this slowly changes. As he grows remorseful his fear of being caught also increases this shows through his behavior as it becomes increasingly erratic.

This was my first big classic. I have read a few recently but this is the longest and hardest one I have read so far. I found it very enjoyable yet also taxing. At 650 pages it was a book that I had to read at a slower pace but I really enjoyed that. I took my time and it allowed me time to really digest the story. If I like a book I usually read through it very quickly, however that was impossible to do with this one. I had to take my time and read in shorter bursts. It helped me understand it fully and grasp the small details of the story.  

I really enjoyed the fact that the story was written from the point of view of the murderer. Usually in crime novels it is the opposite and the story concentrates on the investigation from the investigators view. It was interesting to find that although I disagreed with Raskolnikov's view that the murder of the loan shark was necessary and not really murder. I actually understood his reasoning and how he got to that point in his life. Throughout the book I found him hard to predict, his actions contradicted his needs. If he needed something he seemed unable to keep it for himself but would give it away.  I loved this element of his character and it really kept me on my toes. 

One thing I found hard to get to grips with was the Russian names. At certain times, such as during long conversations, I found myself reading out loud as pronouncing the names allowed me to grasp them better. I never really understood the need for some characters to go by two different names, it is something I found confusing at times. However as I read on I did eventually grasp who was who. All the lesser characters were entertaining, especially Raskolnikov's friend Razumikhin who provided some lighter and more humorous moments.

It was a great book which I really enjoyed.  I'd recommend it to anyone who likes crime and the narrating murderer was a fantastic touch to the book. It isn't a book to read when you are in the mood for light entertainment. It is a gripping and complicated story to be read overtime and when fully alert. 

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

It was a fantastic story which contained allot of detailed narrative. I really liked the book and took my time reading it. The Russian names were confusing at times but this didn't hamper my enjoyment.