? In under 100 pages, the great Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky tells the story of a fleeting love affair that lasts just four days, wherein a young dreamer and a lonely young woman, both lost in the troubles of life, meet. In the few pages of White Nights, Dostoevsky presents a literary work that transcends generations with a timeless tale of unrequited love, the aches of grief, and unyielding passion.

The Russian novelist takes us to St. Petersburg during the titular white nights, when the sun never sets, leaving a mystical twilight — a period all too familiar to Russians, who live through these nights every year from mid June to late July. During these white nights, we meet our narrator, who finds himself incredibly lonely and clouded by melancholia. He yearns for a friend or a confidante with whom he can express his feelings, ideas, and miseries. The unnamed protagonist is stuck in a never-ending loop, suffocating in the big city. Soon enough, he serendipitously meets a young woman who turns his life upside down.

Nastenka, the young woman, sits solemnly, crying on a park bench. Our narrator finds out she’s waiting for her beloved, who had promised to meet her after a year’s separation, only for her to be left perpetually stuck. They sit together, and not long after, they agree to meet once more in the coming day.

This is a novella on what loneliness does to a tortured heart. With his signature brilliance and engaging prose, Dostoevsky offers his readers an in-depth look into one solemn man’s life. We bear witness to his most intimate moments, and how far he’s willing to go for love. The narrator finally believes that the heavens have spared him, curing his loneliness, only for his white nights to descend into something much, much darker.

Dostoevsky excels in psychoanalyzing humanity, mirroring our deepest fears and hopes in a way that leaves afflicted readers feeling understood but still rooted in their melancholy. It’s a brilliantly-written literary work, an emotional and difficult read, taking the reader on a journey through St. Petersberg. Given its brevity, this is a novella that can easily be savored in one sitting, and as the years pass, you might find it a novella you come back to time and again.

WHERE TO FIND IT- You can find the paperback version at Bibliothek and Neel Wa Furat. You can also find the ebook at no charge on the Internet Archive. The audiobook is also available on Storytel. The Arabic edition can be found at Diwan.

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