In the Ravine (1899)

This tale of feminine treachery and greed is worthy of a Hollywood adaptation. Aksinya, the youngest daughter-in-law in the Tsybukin family, displays a knack for quickly grasping the nuances of her family’s business. Gradually, she not only seizes power in the household, but also cold-bloodedly murders a rival for the inheritance – her newborn nephew, Nikifor. And soon, thanks to her efforts, Grigory Tsybukin, the head of the family, finds himself on the street…

Critics have called the story the beginning of a new phase in the writer's work, in which the main characters are people without standards of good and evil.

Translated by Constance Garnett, Publisher Chatto & Windus, 1918