The Double (Doppelangelganger): An Annotated Novel, Vol. 4 Book

In Greg Boyd's novel The Double, neither the protagonist nor his double can tell which one is the imposter and the fictions the protagonist reads seem more real than his own life. The novel proceeds through its mystery, while the protagonist, and the book itself, is taken over by interlocking fictions and fairy tales and photo collages and block prints that enter in footnotes and take about half of the book in the form of 14 appendices.

Library Journal

A rich, intriguing maze of a "novel," this work packs more literary punch than most books twice the heft. The central text is about Jeff, a factory worker, whose life unravels when the "other" Jeff sabotages his job, relationships, and even dreams. Boyd (Sacred Hearts) opens with a life-or-death struggle between them in a graveyard and circles back in the "end." This battle might seem like a metaphor for an id-superego conflict or even multiple-personality disorder, but it's actually more complicated than that-the "real" Jeff ends up fighting back, complicating the double's more exciting life and leading readers to question who the "real" Jeff is. Over half of the book consists of brilliant short stories, allegories, and fairy tales contained in 14 appendixes and 22 annotations. Each could stand alone, but all enhance both the main story and one another. Boyd's writing is by turns gritty, darkly humorous, ironic, and elegant. His nonlinear but utterly integrated approach should make this work particularly interesting in e-book form (ISBN 1-58775-008-2; $7.95). Highly recommended for sophisticated readers in all academic and most public libraries.-Jim Dwyer, California State Univ. Lib., Chico