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The Double by Fyodor Dostoevsky - 4* - My Review

Published in 1846, this slim novel examines duality, identity, and mental health. Protagonist Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin, Sr. (Senior) works as a bureaucrat in an office. He is in love with an unattainable woman named Klara. He is unhappy and feels he does not get enough respect. A doctor advises him to keep more cheerful company and fears for his sanity. Senior eventually meets an exact replica of himself, the “double,” called Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin, Jr. (Junior), who becomes his rival and appears to want to destroy his reputation.

Junior exhibits the qualities that Senior wishes he possessed. We are never quite sure if Junior is part of Senior’s paranoia, but he appears to be. The individual exhibits both good and bad qualities; and engages in both moral and immoral behavior. There may be social reasons for Senior’s mental deterioration. I am unsure if this book was intended as commentary on the bureaucracy in Russia at the time, but I think it is likely. I am reading selected books off the Boxall List. I found this one intriguing. It packs a lot of content into less than 200 pages. It will appeal to those looking for something a bit off the beaten path.