Maksim Gorky's In the World is the second book in his famous autobiographical trilogy. It picks up right after My Childhood ends. After his mother's death, young Alyosha Peshkov is sent to live with his grandparents in their cramped, tense home in Nizhny Novgorod. His grandfather is a former Volga boatman, now a dye-shop owner, whose quick temper and harsh punishments fill the house with fear. His grandmother is his opposite—a warm, storytelling woman who becomes Alyosha's anchor in the storm.

The Story

The plot isn't driven by a single event, but by Alyosha's daily struggle to survive and understand the people around him. He's put to work in his grandfather's failing dye shop and witnesses the brutal realities of small business and poverty. The household is a battlefield of shouting matches, sudden violence, and deep-seated resentment. Alyosha himself is frequently beaten. To escape, he finds odd jobs in the wider town—working in a shoe store, as a dishwasher on a steamship, as an apprentice to an icon painter. Each job exposes him to a new slice of Russian life, full of kind strangers and cruel masters. Through it all, his love for his grandmother and his insatiable hunger for books and stories keep his spirit from being broken.

Why You Should Read It

This book grabs you because it feels so honest. Gorky doesn't sugarcoat anything. The hardship is relentless, but it's never just for shock value. You see how Alyosha's character is forged in this fire. The contrast between his grandfather's world—ruled by money, anger, and tradition—and his grandmother's world—ruled by faith, stories, and unconditional love—is the heart of the book. It's about the fight to choose which world you'll belong to. Alyosha's journey is about collecting these fragments of goodness and knowledge, piece by piece, to build his own path forward.

Final Verdict

This is a book for readers who love character-driven stories and don't mind a narrative that feels more like a lived experience than a plotted thriller. It's perfect for anyone interested in Russian history seen from the ground level, or for those who appreciate a powerful coming-of-age story about resilience. If you enjoyed the raw emotion of a book like Angela's Ashes or the social detail of Dickens, you'll find a lot to love here. Just be ready—it's a tough, beautiful, and unforgettable walk through a very hard childhood.