One-line summary: Profound and profoundly long monologues about ethics, religion, and psychology pad this novel about three (or four) brothers, their villainous father, and the trial to determine which one killed him.

First published in 1880 (in Russian); approximately 358,000 words, or 600-800 pages depending on the edition. Available for free at Project Gutenberg.

The Brothers Karamozov is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of erotic rivalry in a series of triangular love affairs involving the "wicked and sentimental" Fyodor Pavlovich Karamozov and his three sons – the impulsive and sensual Dmitri; the coldly rational Ivan; and the healthy, red-cheeked young novice Alyosha. Through the gripping events of their story, Dostoevsky portrays the whole of Russian life, its social and spiritual strivings, in what was both the golden age and a tragic turning point in Russian culture.