About this audiobook
Prince Lev Myshkin returns to Russia after receiving treatment in Switzerland and enters a society governed by status, money and carefully managed appearances. His openness and readiness to trust other people disturb the expectations of those around him. Qualities that might seem admirable become a source of misunderstanding when they encounter pride, rivalry and conflicting desires.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky places Myshkin among characters whose need for affection is complicated by shame and the fear of humiliation. His relationships with Nastasya Filippovna and Aglaya bring different hopes and demands into conflict. Compassion itself becomes difficult to distinguish from the wish to rescue another person or decide what would make that person happy.
The novel examines innocence, suffering and the limits of good intentions. It asks what happens when a person tries to respond without calculation in a world that repeatedly interprets kindness through the expectations of advantage, weakness or possession.
