A lot of westerners burned out by trying to start reading Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago (three volumes), instead of beginning with his much shorter novellas and novels. Short and accessible, in a readable style, they both convey the darkness of the times without overwhelming the reader.
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (1962)
The First Circle (1968), and
Cancer Ward (1968)
If you get through those and want more, and are not too depressed with the subject matter, only then you should try Gulag.
It is also a good launching pad for Russian literature as a whole.
Good advice !