Between the last two books I read and the last two Saramago books I'd read, I've been in a bit of an unimpressive book rut. Hell, each Saramago book I've read has been worse than the last. Stan gave a harsh review to what I thought was his best book I've read, Blindness. And I still had... 8 more books of his to read? Oh shit. Luckily, The Double reminded me of why I bought the Saramago collection in the first place- while it does have long meandering sentences and lack of proper punctuation that Mr. Saramago is known for, I found it to be a taut thriller that kept me coming back for more. As usual, the book is about watching normal people react to a bizarre situation- in this case, history teacher Tertuliana Maximo Afonso, a middle aged high school teacher, discovers his exact double as an extra in a movie. After some research and stalking, it is determined that at all times the two men look and sound completely alike, and have at all points in their lives, right down to scars and facial hair. Rather than devolving into Parent Trap-esque farce, both Afonso and the actor meet up and are forced to reexamine their entire lives- everything is shaken up by finding out that they are not unique snowflakes, but two men cast from the exact same mold. From here out The Double does something no other Saramago books have done- it becomes plot heavy, tense, and twists in some unexpected directions, culminating in an open ended but satisfying conclusion. Am I chomping at the bit to read the next book in this collection of 12? Not exactly, but it's nice to have that renewed sense of enjoyment.December 5, 2011
The Double
Between the last two books I read and the last two Saramago books I'd read, I've been in a bit of an unimpressive book rut. Hell, each Saramago book I've read has been worse than the last. Stan gave a harsh review to what I thought was his best book I've read, Blindness. And I still had... 8 more books of his to read? Oh shit. Luckily, The Double reminded me of why I bought the Saramago collection in the first place- while it does have long meandering sentences and lack of proper punctuation that Mr. Saramago is known for, I found it to be a taut thriller that kept me coming back for more. As usual, the book is about watching normal people react to a bizarre situation- in this case, history teacher Tertuliana Maximo Afonso, a middle aged high school teacher, discovers his exact double as an extra in a movie. After some research and stalking, it is determined that at all times the two men look and sound completely alike, and have at all points in their lives, right down to scars and facial hair. Rather than devolving into Parent Trap-esque farce, both Afonso and the actor meet up and are forced to reexamine their entire lives- everything is shaken up by finding out that they are not unique snowflakes, but two men cast from the exact same mold. From here out The Double does something no other Saramago books have done- it becomes plot heavy, tense, and twists in some unexpected directions, culminating in an open ended but satisfying conclusion. Am I chomping at the bit to read the next book in this collection of 12? Not exactly, but it's nice to have that renewed sense of enjoyment.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I didn't mean to offer a harsh review, was the review harsh? If the review was harsh I apologize, my only intent was to capture Saramago's writing style, Did I do so with efficiency?
ReplyDeleteActually maybe that last comment should have been one sentence.
ReplyDelete