"Malva", by Maxim Gorky

I just finished reading this novel/short story, and i truely liked it. Written according to the usual russian style of the late XIX - early XX centuries, the plot consists on the problematic relationship between a father and his son because of a woman, Malva.

In this book the environment in which the story develops take's an important part, in the form of constant metaphores with what happen's and the states of mind of the characters. Plus, and as usual in the books of russian authors of the period, there's implicit social and political messages threw out the book. The dichotomy rural-urban regions and values, the portray of the bad conditions in which the russian people was living and the severe poverty of the time are some of the marks of this book.

It's also clear how some values are promoted as being respectful and crucial, while some ideas, values or life styles are criticized from a moral and ethical point of view. Some of the considerations that are present on this book are not consistent with today's vision and mainstream values, so it's interesting to see how society, in Russia and on those days, functioned.

I hope you read it, because it's worth it!