The Double

 The Book

First published in 1846, The Double is a short story by Dostoevsky that follows the mental breakdown of civil servant Golyadkin in St Petersberg.

It takes perseverance to read to the end of this tale - the main character is so meek and passive, he is difficult to like. The text is full of dialogue and whether talking to others or talking to himself, Golyadkin is so subservient that it crawls along, interspersed with "sir" and hesitant attempts to put forward his protestations. It becomes very frustrating. No wonder, you feel, that his inner conscience decides to split and create a more confident and out going version of himself. At first it is not clear whether Golyadkin junior is real, or part of our "hero's" paranoia. He interacts with shopkeepers, fellow office workers and his servant.

As the psychosis grows and everyone around him becomes his enemy, the feeling of disorientation for the reader is more pronounced and the ending came as something of a relief.






Movie website 

 The Movie

Richard Ayoade's brilliant adaptation is set in a 50's reminiscent of Terry Gilliam's Brazil. The bureaucracy and pasty faced old workers have that link to 19th Century Russia but its given a more modern feel which the viewer can relate to more in the drudgery of the 9-5 drone. Simon James is a desperate loser unable to stand up for himself and where work security never recognise him despite having worked there for 7 years. His love is now for a fellow office worker rather than a daughter of the elite and the office do replaces the society ball. He is so pathetic that he collects her trash as souvenirs and watches her in her apartment from his across the square. 

James Simon doesn't make an appearance until 25 minutes in, but things liven up when the confident doppelganger gradually takes over his life, seizing the opportunities that Simon is too weak to take. 

The ending is clever and things get a bit confusing as to who is who. When one of them sustains an injury, the other bears it too, so it is difficult to distinguish. However, Simon is able to take advantage of this symbiosis and finally takes a decisive action in order to remove the cuckoo from his life.

The score (moody violins and Japanese pop) and the lighting are brilliant at adding to the mood and additional colour is added by Ayoade's IT Crowd friends - Chris O'Dowd, Chris Morris; and Tim Key.

                                  

If you enjoyed the book, try Jose Saramago's The Double or William Wilson by Edgar Allan Poe

If you enjoyed the film, try The Enemy or that 70's classic The Man who Haunted Himself