The Devil - Leo Tolstoy

Rating: ★★
23/01/16

An affair began; it was simply necessary for his health. As with every obsession, he thought he could break it off when needed.

After some time, he found reassurance in what seemed to be a good marriage.

By an act of mischievous gods or the mere absurdity of the world that usually goes against our wishes, he found his former lover again. Time involves, if not oblivion, an illusion of it that gives humans a chance of survival. But one glance and the past becomes real again. *'Too Much Love Will Kill You' plays in the background*

That distressing time of looking for opportunities to meet her again had begun. A restless mind that could no longer decide the nature of his thoughts, for they were all about her. He was waiting. Always waiting, expecting that by some miracle she would be aware that he was expecting her, and would come here at once...

Too much passion might tempt the fates and tragedy would be right there, waiting for its opportunity.

Well. My little tragedy was reading this novella. I reached a level of boredom I did not think it was possible while reading Tolstoy. The writing, the overly sentimental way of portraying the story, the characters, the endings (yes, it has two endings and found them both equally irritating).

Since I am reading Anna Karenina at this moment, this novella seems to have been written by Tolstoy's drunk shadow. It has some good ratings here so maybe you will enjoy it. It just wasn't my thing. I was going to give it three stars only because of the author. But that's not how things should work around here. (Yes, if it were a book by Dostoyevsky, I would have given it three stars...)

I chose one line.

Nothing does harm if one's mind is at peace.

Whatever that is.