Review: Notes from Underground

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

WARNING: I tried to write this review without bad language but I JUST COULDN'T DO IT. Swearing ahead.

It would be dishonest of me not to put this on my 'utter trash' list because that's what I thought of it the entire time I was reading. It's mercifully short but even so, still a complete drainer. There are some really fascinating ideas thrown in but when he's still talking about them ten pages later (or 50, even) it just wears you down. Nothing really happens except that this complete DOUCHEBAG talks about how he likes to be a DOUCHEBAG because THAT IS LIFE. By the end of it, my mouth was literally open with disgust. I have never read a more loathsome character.

Which, I guess, is why it's considered so brilliant.

I mean, I see it. I see the depth, and the exploration of human kind, and that this is just so BATSHIT INSANE that nothing like it really comes close. Dostoyevsky had some serious balls writing something as despicable as this. He does really dig into some ideas that will make your head spin, but it was just waaaay too depressing for me. I got ZERO enjoyment out of reading it. It made me want to go hug a puppy. For like a week. This guy represents everything that's wrong with the human race. (I might be exaggerating, I don't know. I'm just upset. He's such a dick. I wanted to punch him in the face.)

I threw it a bonus star because I can see that the dude had to be brilliant (or completely off his rocker, but aren't they usually the same anyway?) to come up with this, and I can see that there's some seriously dense, thought-provoking material here. But it's just a crummy, crummy book to read.

I'd recommend this one for anyone who likes to feel superior by reading challenging books and people who love being miserable. Everyone else would be doing themselves a favour by steering clear.

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