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I liked it, albeit with reservations. In retrospect, I wish I had read a more modern translation than Garnett. Coyness about a chamber pot!
I was put off by all the shouting, especially by Velchaninov. Did that man ever speak in a normal tone of voice? But I also was sucked in; originally I had planned to have a stint of so many pages per day, then I ended up reading it in one sitting. The central mystery: did Trusotsky know? I found very compelling. Each situation could be read differently, depending on whether or not he knew of Liza's parentage. Poor Liza! Was it being emotionally abandoned by her putative father or an infection (that black finger) that killed her?
Can people change? Despite experience and epiphanies, in this case, clearly not. Both Velchaninov and Trusotsky keep returning to form. The last sentence had me laughing.
I don't think there was more meat here than for a novella, but as it was, the tragi-comedy engaged me and I'm still thinking about the characters. Question: Am I the only one who kept seeing "Trotsky" for "Trusotsky?"
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