Where to start with Fyodor Dostoevsky

Russian novelist, 1821–1881.

Best Fyodor Dostoevsky book to start with: Crime and Punishment (1866), on 7 of the 10 lists it could have made.

Start with Crime and Punishment. It’s long, but it moves like a thriller: a poor student in St Petersburg commits a crime early on, and the rest of the book is about what it does to him.

After that comes The Brothers Karamazov, the big one. It’s a family drama and a murder case that argues about God and justice along the way. Many readers think it’s his best, and it asks for real time.

The Idiot and Demons come later. Each is long, each has a huge cast in which every person goes by several names, and each is easier once you’re used to how he writes. Demons is sometimes published as The Possessed or Devils, so check you’ve got the right book.

Translation matters a great deal with Dostoevsky, so read a sample page before you buy. If you aren’t sure he’s for you, read Crime and Punishment and judge from there.