The Friend of the Family: or, The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants

by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Ignat Avsey (Translator)

A blustering interloper and a meek aristocrat struggle for control of a country estate, in this comic novel by the author of Crime and Punishment.

“Avsey's excellent translation and stimulating introduction and notes enable the reader to appreciate this novel, and its weird humour, to the full.” — Telegraph

Full of pace, effervescence and grotesque comedy, this short novel by the renowned author of Crime and Punishment represents an antic mode insufficiently known to English readers, and presented here in the first translation since Constance Garnett’s version of the 1920s.

Set on a remote country estate, the story concerns a household completely under the sway of the despotic charlatan and humbug Foma Fomich Opiskin, one of the most notorious creations in Russian literature. The owner of the estate, Colonel Rostanev, a meek, soft-hearted giant of a man, is cruelly dominated by Opiskin. With deftly controlled suspense amid a teeming variety of wildly eccentric minor characters, the novel builds up to a confrontation between these two. Will Rostanev give way to Opiskin’s cruelty and sacrifice the love of his life? Or will his sense of honor finally push him to resist the tyrant’s demands?

Written in the year of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s return to St Petersburg after his exile, it is perhaps his most important early work. It is the link between Gogol and Chekhov; it is almost Dickensian in its comic proliferation of imaginative characters. In the chaos which spreads out from the roiling center of the dominant Opiskin, Dostoevsky draws a picture of a Russia on the verge of upheaval and transformation.

Genres: Classics

304 pages, Paperback

Expected publication May 26, 2026

About the author

Alternate spelling, see main profile Fyodor Dostoevsky

Reviews

[Janelle]

DNF50% A Dostoevsky comedy? I was curious but it didn’t really work for me. It just was so over the top and absurd without any clear points being made and the characters were irritating.

[Theediscerning · Rating 2 out of 5]

If asked to think of the Russian that hangs around with too much damaging influence, you might remember Rasputin. Others will think of the antagonist here, Foma Fomich Opiskin, vainly and conceitedly lording it over a woman, widow to his prior employer, who herself is horridly selfish in sponging off her damp squib of a son. Along then comes our younger narrator, to the village so tainted by Foma Fomich and his nasty critical opinions of everyone – to put him to rights and perhaps get a bride at the same time.

It was actually a girl I met in a nightclub that told me to read Dostoevsky, and as is my usual I went towards his classics through the back door, as it were – not choosing his obviously prescribed, canonical texts, but something more unexpected. And I don't think it's the right thing to do here. Reading this a second time I might actually have had less connection with the piece, for it is really not my thing. It's one of those society of manners dramas, where the status and balance of everyone is to the fore. Who is possibly in Foma Fomich's good books and who not? Who might wed the rich loopy one? Who will survive with their reputation intact? And how, multiple scenes after someone fled during dinner, can we still be on Day One?

To my mind, this was not even allowed to work as such because all the people seemed stupid, unlikeable – or, of course, both. You certainly have to be in the mood for the machinations of Foma Fomich, and how everyone gullibly lets him get his way. There's also a side-note to be said of how little the narrator is in this – he has scenes that are fairly important to it all, but he's generally ignored as a character, including in the round-up of what happened to everyone.

Also, it's a touch awkward that this book, with its introduction and notes definitely set up to call the piece "The Village…" has been retitled; it's not the first time this work has appeared as "The Friend of the Family", but the contents don't seem to realise that fact. So to me the memory of that first library hardback would have sufficed, and for anyone else – well, they have a curio of its time to spend the day with. The average person on the stereotypical commute (or dancefloor) would probably not get a heck of a lot of joy from this.

[Heather Pacella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Colonel Yegor Ilyich Rostanev, decorated military retiree, has quietly settled into a benign and peaceful life on his inherited country estate. However, he soon finds his household expanding from just him and his two children to a veritable menagerie of eccentric personalities. The Colonel takes in his recently widowed mother, along with a large and colorful group of companions from her old household - including the titular "friend of the family", Foma Fomitch Opiskin. Rostanev's kind and humble nature is no match for Opiskin's cunning and overbearing personality, and soon all on the estate find themselves operating under the thumb of a new master. The colonel's nephew is quickly summoned by letter, urgently requesting his presence at the estate. Upon arrival, he sees just how much in control Foma is, and what ensues is chaos and dramatics as everyone in the household - including Colonel Rostanev - soon find themselves at their breaking point.


This was an interesting story! Though it is a short book, the writing does a perfect job at giving personality to each member of the large cast of characters, while keeping the plot action-packed until the very end. Though there is a useful introduction to the book that provides a lot of context to the events of the novel as it relates to Russian history, I found the character of Foma Fomitch is especially fascinating through a modern lens - the way his character manages to completely take over the Colonel's household while being universally unliked (and being ignorant while pretending to be extremely knowledgeable), seems ridiculous until one realizes that that is the exact playbook for a lot of politicians in power today. Of course, these antics were made more palatable by a very humorous and cheerful ending, ultimately making for a worthwhile read. I would recommend The Friend of the Family to any fans of Russian literature looking for an original entry in the genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Bookish Tokyo · Rating 2 out of 5]

“A base nature subjected to tyranny will always tyrannize others as soon as it has secured its own release.”
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Towards the end of the translator’s introduction, Avsey muses that it will be “the reader to judge where this unusual tale will eventually stand in relation to Dostoyevsky’s other works.” While I certainly tick the category of being a reader, I’m not entirely sure I have the expertise to really judge it.
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I don’t think it is too much of a stretch to say that most people do not associate Dostoyevsky with satire and humour. This does feel very different to his other works. All the characters are extreme, whether in their extreme nastiness or extreme stupidity. It is set as a countryside comical romp with an underlying sense of dark satire, the satire placing it firmly within the political and social machinations of 19th-century Russia.
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It is an absurd piece of writing, and the humour, at least for me, has been lost either through the prism of time or culture. There is a speed to the prose, and it feels like you are on a rollercoaster that keeps getting faster and faster and you can’t get off. This was a deeply frustrating read because all of the characters are deeply frustrating, making decisions that made no sense. For instance, Opiskin, the charlatan and grifter, seems to have a hold over the decaying household that makes no sense to an outsider. It is the same feeling one has when seeing support for any of the populist leaders we are encumbered with.
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I did not particularly enjoy this read, and while I could see the meaning underlying the fast and frenetic prose, I was both bored and frustrated by it. With thanks to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

[tsukibookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think among many others, The Village of Stepanchikovo might be one of the - if not most - underrated works of Dostoyevsky. Like, I saw less people talking about this book on many platforms. It also has different tone than the others. This one is more comic and melodramatic for me. Reading this feels like watching a soap opera in the morning. The drama is just there at every chapter, and considering the fact that this was intended as a play, I think it's fair.

The story itself didn't take so long in terms of time. It was basically an episode that happened in certain village, a certain house, in 24 hours. But I found the story to be quite fun to follow and was so eager to know how it will end. Like I said before, this one is rather different than other Dostoyevsky's works. There were quite a lot of references from other authors, especially Gogol whom he adored so much. Well, don't expect to find something that will question one's existence or one's life and such. This one is quite funny and you might find yourself a little bit frustrated because of the characters. I think it was interesting to "see" this side of Dostoyevsky. Based on the introduction too, some of the characters in this story were the base for his other works.

Even though I enjoyed my time reading this, I found this one to be a so-so. He has lots of interesting works so to compare the others I have read to this one, this one feels like "just it." But if someone were looking for a less "intimidating" Dostoyevsky's work, I think I would recommend this.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for the advance digital copy.

[Shari · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young man is furthering his education when he receives an urgent letter from the uncle who raised him, telling him he must return home at once to marry the governess. The young man, never having met the governess, is puzzled but sets off at once. Upon his arrival, he is dismayed to see the entire household in thrall to Foma Fomitch Opiskin, a bully and a charlatan. Mayhem, manipulation, madness, and misunderstandings ensue.

I was quite pleased to read this book as I'm becoming quite a Dostoyevsky fan and the description indicated that it was different from his other work. It was different and it was a good read. It wasn't as comical as I thought it would be based on the description. I never quite understood what it was about Foma Fomitch that made people fall under his spell, but all we have to do is look around at the world today and we can see how easily people are duped into cults of personality. In any case, I'm glad to have had the opportunity to read this book and I'd recommend it if you're interested in the author and/or Russian literature. The introduction placed the work in context in terms of where Dostoyevsky was in his life when he wrote it and what his influences were. I was quite intrigued to read that he was influenced by Pickwick Papers and other work by Chares Dickens. This information was very helpful and enhanced my reading experience.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.

[Nicki Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot of Dostoyevsky's works, but The Friend of the Family is certainly the most comedic so far. This is a work that feels quite different in style from the author's more famous books. It is somewhat absurdist and farcical. I can certainly see the influence of writers like Gogol and Moliere and other works like Tartuffe. The characters are all well sketched out and memorable, and the action is amusing and well-paced. While it was enjoyable, it does lack a little of the psychological depth of Dostoyevsky's later writings, and as such I didn't feel such a deep connection with it compared to those other stories. However, it was certainly interesting to read this early work of his and see how his style and focus changed and developed. This would be of interest to the author's existing fans and perhaps also readers who want to try his writing but have been put off by the darker tone of his more popular works. I am giving it 3.5 stars. It was good fun but not something that is going to stick in my mind long term.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Katy Wheatley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The problem with books that are supposed to be funny is that comedy is extremely subjective. Everyone knows what tragedy is, but comedy is a lot harder to pin down and I honestly think I am not the right audience for this book. My biggest issue is that nobody in this story is likeable. The colonel, who is abused roundly by everyone in the book, including the people who claim to care for him, is weak willed and an absolute idiot, and his absolute inability to stand up for himself negates any kind feelings I had for him. This is, I think, a kind of high farce with a lot of coming in and out through doors and windows and stumbling upon people in awkward situations. There are a few routine comedy bits thrown in for light relief to take your mind off of how awful everyone is and a happy ending which makes all the awful treatment of everyone by everyone forgivable if you get that far. I think this would make a far more successful play than a novel. The structure and dialogue would work much better in play form.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to #Netgalley and #SteerforthandPushkinPublishing for early access to this new release of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's comedic novel, The Friend of the Family.

This edition is skillfully translated by Ignat Avsey and includes a superb introduction and notes to aid the reader's interpretation of the novel.
The novel is set on the country estate of Colonel Rostanev, with a perfect ensemble of over-the-top characters vying for his attention and money, including his own mother. She returns to her son's home after the death of her second husband, with various acquaintances in tow. The worst of these is Foma Fomich Opiskin, a tyrannical man who completely disrupts everybody with his manipulations, tantrums, and obsessive control.
I did have to suspend disbelief as I found it hard to accept that everyone would be under this charmless charlatan's spell. He was at times verging on a pantomime villain level, almost Dickensian at times.
This story was completely different from anything of Dostoyevsky's I've previously read, and therefore, the comedy aspect was a pleasant change.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous is not the word most would associate with Dostoevsky, which made Friend of the Family: or, The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants immediately intriguing.

The novel is a clear departure from Dostoevsky’s usual territory. Gogol’s influence is on full display, with a gallery of grotesque and absurd characters, but it never quite captures the chaotic energy that makes Gogol so compelling.

The story itself is entertaining enough, though I couldn’t help but feel it might have worked better as a play, since much of the humour comes from the melodramatic actions and reactions of the characters.

Overall, I enjoyed it for what it is; it’s always interesting when an author steps outside their comfort zone.

Worth a look.

With thanks to Pushkin Press for the ARC.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘The Friend of the Family’ really is a gem! I went into this a little half-heartedly, expecting classic Dostoyevsky doom and gloom. It is dark, for sure, but I was genuinely amazed at how funny it was! So untypical for the author (I think, though someone might disagree).
The contemporary language makes this feel really fresh rather than a dry and dusty piece of Russian lit. And again, the humour is genuinely, unexpectedly witty. Happy to have made the acquaintance of Foma Fomich.
Very readable. Lots of fun! Glad I came across this long-overdue translation!

[Darryl Suite · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guess I prefer dark Dostoevsky. Who knew there was a comedic side to the man? I like my shit dark.

Review to come soon.