I got the same feeling and the author being the translator of such exhaustive literary pieces, one wouldn't expect this to end so quickly and unfulfilling.
> "The reader will have to read the novel and decide the case as they see fit."
It feels like a very truncated version of the translator's preface. Maybe someone will post a review.
I am partial to Pevear and Volonkhonsky. I find the English fine, despite everyone complaining it is too close to the Russian. I don't read Russian, so the closer the translator can get me, the better.
> "The reader will have to read the novel and decide the case as they see fit."