First published 1880
Fyodor Karamazov lies dead, and his four sons become the prime suspects. Mitya, the passionate sensualist, had fought bitterly with his father over money and women, making him the obvious target for investigators. Ivan, the tortured intellectual, retreats into his own mind as the weight of suspicion crushes his sanity. Alyosha, the family's moral center, struggles desperately to hold his brothers together as their world collapses. Meanwhile, Smerdyakov, their illegitimate half-brother, lurks in the shadows with secrets of his own. As the investigation unfolds and the trial begins, the truth about that fatal night slowly emerges. But the real verdict goes beyond guilt or innocence. Each brother must confront what they truly believe about justice, family, and faith when everything they thought they knew crumbles around them.
Genres: fiction, drama, literary-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, crime, psychological-thriller, 19th-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Russia
Period: 19th-Century
1013 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books Ltd
Content warnings: death, mental-illness