By Brandi Shuler
White Nights is a short novel written by Fyodor Dostoevsky in 1848. It is about a lonely young man who meets a woman one night and becomes friends with her. He falls in love with her over a couple of nights while she is in love with and waiting for another man.
I found this book recommendation on Instagram due to its growing popularity among classics. It also has a movie set in its native language, Russian.
This story is a good example of romantic literature that also has a good moral standing. It is a wonderful examination of the human condition through its themes of loneliness, without being overshadowed by the terrible decisions of the main character.
Unlike Catcher in the Rye or Lolita, where the main character is arguably the worst person ever, White Nights has a main character who is lovable, going through a hard time, and is easier to relate to.
I enjoy a good tragedy every once in a while; the situations the characters have found themselves in really stabs you in the feels and doesn’t leave you much room for second-guessing. I also like the writing style. It is a short, easy read considering its Russian background and the time period it originated from. This could also be because of the translation I read; there may be other translations that are harder to read.
I gave this a 4.5 out of 5-star rating just for how much I enjoyed this. Call me a masochist for liking the tragic stories, but this truly raked on me, and it felt like a breath of fresh air. Finally able to read a story that affects me instead of just another book that I put a lot of time into reading, just for it to feel so shallow.
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