One of the finest novels to come from Russian literature, Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment is an examination of the psychology a criminal mind. Rodion Raskolnikov, a desperate former student living in the depths of poverty who considers him self as superior to others, commits an act of senseless violence as part of a plot to escape his unfortunate circumstances. He has no regret or remorse for his actions until a dogged investigator begins to pursue him, sending him spiraling into moral anguish and doubt as the weight of his crime grows heavier on him and he is forced to confront the true consequences of what he has done.
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