THE DOUBLE (Jose Saramago) - January 8/14

Obviously I wanted to read this because of Enemy but I was rather surprised to note that the book doesn't feature ANY of the weirdness of that movie (ie no spiders). Saramago's almost infuriatingly weird style - paragraphs go on for pages and are insanely descriptive and chatty - really does ruin what could've been a pretty great novel, and yet it's worth noting that the story picks up substantially in its final 50 pages or so. It becomes fast-paced and exciting, which I can't say it had been at any point prior. Still, it feels like a waste and I certainly won't be seeking out any more Saramago novels any time soon. ** out of ****