Velchaninov, a rich and idle man undergoing a moral crisis, is confronted in St Petersburg by Trusotsky, the loyal husband of Velchaninov’s former lover. Trusotsky informs Velchaninov that his wife has died, and from here this fascinating novella charts the development of the two men’s lives. An Eternal Husband beautifully portrays the confused and changing feelings the two men have for one another, moving through guilt, hatred and love. This is Dostoevsky at his best, engaging with his favoured themes of tortured minds and neurosis, and treating them in a captivating and highly revealing way.