White Nights

White Nights explores themes of loneliness, dreams, and unfulfilled love, it kind of reminded me of the movie 500 days of summer but not exactly the same. Told from the perspective of a lonely dreamer wandering the streets of St. Petersburg, the story follows his brief yet intense encounter with a young woman named Nastaya where he fell in love with her over 4 nights. Dostoevsky talks about the protagonist's inner world—his isolation, romantic idealism, and yearns for love from Nastaya. He's basically delusional, and lost in his own fantasies, unable to really engage with reality. Nastaya, is more grounded yet equally trapped, waiting for a lover who may never return. Their conversations oscillate between hope and despair, reflecting the transient nature of happiness and the cruelty of reality, quite relatable read for our generation I felt. Unlike Dostoevsky's later works, which focus on existential crises and morality, White Nights is a more delicate and sentimental meditation on love and longing. It resonates with anyone who has ever experienced unreciprocated love or the ache of fleeting happiness.