This is probably one of the quirkiest books I've ever read. The story was so fascinating, but strange. I would caution anyone against reading this one as a "commuter" book, or a "lunch hour" book, as each chapter, often 10-20 pages long, is one. long. paragraph. And the sentences go on, and on, with lots of commas. Every time I put the book down, it took me quite a bit of time to adjust to the writing style once I picked it up again. Once I did get into it, it was very stream-of-consciousness... and it was like you were seeing right into the character's head.

I'm glad I read it, and I have one other book by this author on my TBR list, but I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to read more. We'll see after the next one!

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Jose Saramago is my favorite writer though his style can be off-putting to the novice. He writes not only the way my brain thinks but very similar to a lot of Central and South American writers. Like foreign writes, Saramago has a depth I seldom find in American authors and moral lesson to his novels. "The Double" is no exception. It raises many issues and makes one think about things that we take for granted; such as individuality. This is a great novel.

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