First published 1866
Alexei works as a tutor for a Russian General whose family has fallen into financial ruin. The household buzzes with tension as relatives circle like vultures, waiting for a wealthy grandmother to die so they can inherit her fortune. Alexei becomes obsessed with gambling, convinced that roulette holds the key to transforming his circumstances and winning the love of Polina, the General's stepdaughter who treats him with cruel indifference. He throws himself into increasingly desperate bets, chasing the rush of risk and the fantasy of sudden wealth. This collection also includes six other stories exploring the darker corners of human nature. A frustrated writer eavesdrops on conversations among the dead in a cemetery. A man planning suicide experiences a vivid dream that changes his perspective on existence. Wedding guests witness uncomfortable truths about marriage and money. These tales capture the psychological extremes that drive people to their breaking points, examining how desperation shapes human behavior.
Genres: fiction, addiction, 20th-century, 19th-century
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: desperate-circumstances, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Russia
Period: 19th-Century
386 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics
Content warnings: addiction