Last night I began a journey into Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment. I can already tell I will not escape this book without significant contemplation. All his characters are well drawn and captivating, and he has a way of making your heart break for them. In several instances, already, he has shown or signaled the end of a matter and then proceeds to walk through it entirely. As you see the end coming in the distance you plead with the character to change, but the deed is already done. It is not unlike knowing someone who is about to ruin their lives by their foolishness and, because you know the person, you sense it's inevitability. It hurts much worse than hearing about it after the fact because your pain is renewed with each step towards the fatal end.
I will not escape from this.