Doppelganger - Michael Parker

Michael Parker seems to be very insecure; that is probably why he started his book with a quote by Joseph Conrad that seemed to confuse people more than guide them - but then, thats probably why Robert B. Parker writes New York Times Bestsellers and why Michael Parker's books end up in the Brighton Grammar School Library, where Mrs. Neal drags all books to die painful and slow deaths whilst their authors get rejected from the Women Past Menopause Book Society book tour.
Perhaps we could discuss some of the themes of the book. The Value of a Friendship and the Value of the Greater Good are juxtaposed in this book, just like how the value of the Book and the Value of a Good Book are Juxtaposed in reality. Andrew, the main character of the book also juxtaposes his friend Josh, in his "reality" and the Josh of his "other world" and finds that they aren't very dissimilar. To show this, Parker places much importance in Derek Thompson, the boy who Josh from the"other world" gets the Hallway Boys to hunt and kill whilst the Josh from his "reality" pushes Thompson into the lockers and gets to slap himself. Hmm... Slap yourself in the face, or killed by one hundred drugged up and canniballistic boys, they're quite the same aren't they? Andrew also finds out that his personalities in "reality" and in his"other world" are completely different and that their names and bodily attributes are the only similar parts of them. Andrew also learns that actions and views are what really define people. To this point he is correct, but if Bin Laden's doppelganger walked down the road in Manhattan, I'm not too sure if the SWAT teams would be too keen to here him give a speech in Arabic about how actions and not looks define who a person is. Andrew's final decision is one that I'll let you read about, but If you want my advice don't read the book, just gnaw your leg off or get stuck in an elevator with one lab technician who will remain anonymous.