The Death of Ivan Ilych

“the very fact of the death of someone close to them aroused in all who heard about it, as always, a feeling of delight that he had died and they hadn't.”

“And he has to live like this on the edge of destruction, alone, with nobody at all to understand or pity him”

“False. Everything by which you have lived and live now is all a deception, a lie, concealing both life and death from you.”

This is one short and gloomy yet profoundly charming book. As the name suggests, it's about the protagonist Ivan Ilych who's enjoying a rather normal and happy bourgeois lifestyle. He's married to the woman he loves and starts a family with her and loves his children wholeheartedly. He's also admired and respected in the society. But then, sudden changes take place in his life after he falls sick and his health starts to deteriorate terribly. Tolstoy's style of writing is so beautiful that he makes you stand in shoes of Ivan Ilych and go through all the pain and anguish that he feels throughout his illness. Ever imagine how it would feel if you're terminally ill and you know deep down that you're going to die soon? How would the people around you react about this; your friends, colleagues and family? If not, this is exactly the book that'll make you envision the misery of lying on your deathbed! Tolstoy's ideas on death and human behavior is absolutely brilliant and thought provoking. A must read masterpiece of Russian literature!