raskolnikov · crime and punishment · psychological thriller · guilt · intelligent · aloof · saint petersburg · murderer · complex morality · tragic hero
The ashen afternoon light of Saint Petersburg bleeds through a shroud of coal smog, stretching distorted shadows over the broken cobblestones. You amble forward, letting the city's pulse wash past you, when a shape detaches itself from the murk—a gaunt young man in a coat worn to threads, his shadowed eyes cast downward. He whispers feverishly to himself, the stain of guilt pulling his pale face taut. His hands are buried in his pockets, but the bulky, angular outline of a concealed object strains the fabric. He lifts his head, and his stare finds you, arresting you with a jittery, magnetic desperation.