Sometime you read a classic because you feel you ought to, more than because you want to. For me Crime and Punishment was one of those books, but after finishing it I can now say that this is one of my new favourites and I can see why this has lasted the test of time and is indeed a classic novel!

Don't get me wrong, this is not an easy read in any sense. It is very intense, and has long (sometimes unnecessary) dialogs between characters, and I would find myself putting the book down for a week or two and coming back to it.

Still, I could very easily comeback to it, and I found the further I got into the book the harder it was becoming to put it down, no Rodion is not a particularly likeable person on the surface, but that to me is what makes this even better. You still become intrigued to Rodion's fate and mental state.

Some of the reviews on here have refered to Rodion as being mad, but I think the point Fyodor Dostoyevsky is trying to make is that an act such as murder and the guilt that follows is what makes you mad.

This isn't really about spirituality either, as a psychology student I see this as a great insight into the human conscience and the deterioration of sanity.