Post Number:#2
by mwo » 11 Jan 2008, 18:56
It took me about 10 days to finish this book, much longer than I'd anticipated. That's mainly due to its narrative structure, which reads like a collection short essays on different aspects of prison life. Various characters are introduced, though rarely expanded upon, which made it difficult to keep track of them, let alone feel any emotional attachment toward them. But that is also what makes this a sincere account of life in prison, free of the melodrama and forced plot devices that mar similar stories. The main character never attempts to solicit guilt from the reader, nor does he dramatize what he depicts. Life in prison is seen for what it is: A dull, tedious, painful existence wherein each day blends into the next. It is a difficult book to read, but I appreciate Dostoyevsky's terrific writing style as well as the philosophical anecdotes he conveys on life both in and out of prison.
Last edited by
mwo on 11 Jan 2008, 19:01, edited 1 time in total.