Netochka Nezvanova

An unfinished novel by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, later turned by the author into a novella.

The life of Nastechka Nezvanova is traced from age 8 to 17. At first, the girl lives with her mother and stepfather Efimov in a tiny room in the attic of a large Petersburg house. A gifted violinist—infantile, childish in his arrogance and tactless manners (like many talented artists), the stepfather lives off the “villain” wife, who allegedly ruined his talent. Not understanding their true relationship, Nastechka becomes passionately attached to her “father” and dreams that after her sick mother dies she will leave with him to a new, happy life—in a “house with red curtains,” a wealthy mansion visible from their window. Taking advantage of her stepdaughter’s blind love, Efimov forces her to deceive her mother and hand over the last money for tickets to a concert by a famous violinist…