Tertuliano Máximo Afonso is a lonely, divorced history teacher in Lisbon whose life is routine and quiet. One evening, watching a comedy film recommended by a colleague, he spots a minor actor who looks exactly like him. Compelled, he tracks down the man's identity, a stage actor named Daniel Santa-Clara, and begins to stalk and then contact him. As the two men circle each other, Saramago asks what makes any of us an individual if someone else can share our face, voice and even our scars.
Saramago's long, unbroken sentences and wry narrator reward patient readers. This is a good fit for people who like philosophical thrillers where the tension comes from identity and doubt rather than action, and who enjoy a dry, unsettling ending.
Deep, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Literary Connoisseur. Which reader are you?
- Language
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