White Nights
Fyodor Dostoevsky
White Nights is a short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky that was published in 1848. Set in St. Petersburg, it is the story of a young man fighting his inner restlessness. A light and tender narrative, it delves into the torment and guilt of unrequited love. Both protagonists suffer from a deep sense of alienation that initially brings them together. A blend of romanticism and realism, the story appeals gently to the senses and feelings.
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I love Dostoyevsky. On of my favorite authors. This is, once again, a stunning work, full of depth and meaning, despite its shortness. Considering the length of the book, there is no place for a complex character development and plot, but you can still find a lot of hidden meanings and parallels. As always with Dostoyesky, characters often reveal themselves more through dialogues than actions. And yet, what is shown, not said, holds necessary context for the plot development. A simple yet complex and almost poetic work.
0I never imagined myself reading a Dostoyevsky book—definitely not my style, lol. But this one was very short, and I kind of needed a quick read, so I picked it up. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it and finished it in a day. The story follows a solitary man who spends his evenings walking around, contemplating his loneliness, until he meets a girl who shares a similar spirit.
Both characters are unhinged, which is probably why I enjoyed the book. I don't have any deep philosophical musings about it because I'm too dumb for that stuff, but I did enjoy the narrator's monologues about his loneliness, especially those addressed to the girl. Their bond over their individual solitudes was very interesting to read, especially since they have different backstories to begin with.
This is just a quick reaction, so I'd also like to point out the 9-year age gap between the man and the girl. Insane. Jail. Anyway, I did enjoy this, and the ending was giving "hurt people hurt people" vibes. Still, I would recommend it since it was an easy read. This is a very late reaction paper. There was another short story in the second part of my copy, but it was very different from "White Nights," so I decided to leave it be. K bye.
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