The opening words of Anna Karenina are profound in their understanding of dysfunctional families. One might wonder: to what extent was the family life of its writer, Leo Tolstoy, dysfunctional? Tolstoy was a man who has heralded a reputation as being one of the greatest literary figures in Russian literature and one of the voices of dissent against the Tsarist regime. But he led a tumultuous family life that has been veiled by the magnanimity of his works. How did Tolstoy achieve this tremendous success? As the old cliche goes, “behind every successful man is a woman.” In his case, it was his wife, Sofia Tolstoy.