Book Review - Mistaken
In 1839 Edgar Allen Poe wrote an unsettling short story called “William Wilson”. In this story, the titular narrator encounters a doppelgänger; that is, someone who appears to be his double. The narrator first meets him at boarding school. The other William Wilson shares his name, birthdate, and general appearance, which greatly annoys the narrator. As an adult, the narrator slips into debauchery; cheating at cards and seducing married women. On several occasions, his double shows up in time to warn his targets of the narrator’s intentions. Eventually, the narrator has enough, and stabs his double in the bathroom of a ballroom in Rome. Only then is it revealed that his double was really the narrator’s conscience, and that by killing him, the narrator has also killed his own soul.
The 2011 novel “Mistaken” by Neil Jordan has parallels with Poe’s short story. (In fact, it is even referred to once by the main characters). Like William Wilson, the protagonist of “Mistaken” discovers that he has a double. Growing up in working class Dublin, Kevin Thunder is thrown out of shops by shopkeepers who claim they caught him shoplifting when he was there “last time”. He is approached by girls he has never seen before, who behave as if they already know him. Eventually as a young adult, Kevin meets his double - upper class Gerry Spain. Gerry looks and sounds exactly the same as Kevin. Only their accents and hairstyles differ, reflecting the boys’ different backgrounds. Over the years the two men form a strange relationship as their lives take different trajectories. Despite his apparent privileges, Gerry’s insecurities prompt him to request the more confident Kevin to take over his identity on several occasions (such as breaking the ice with the beautiful girl who will become Gerry’s wife). Such episodes cause Kevin to wonder:
“…were we the same person, the light and shade of the same person? Was I a dream that he dreamt, a darker form of himself, from a subtly different background, was I the part of him he kept at bay, suppressed, that he needed but could never admit to? Or was he a dream that I dreamt, was he the dream of the life I wanted, had I conjured him out of the shards of my pathetic background, was his the life I should have had, but hadn’t got the courage to grasp?”
Despite his misgivings, Kevin agrees to assume Gerry’s identity when he requests it, partly out of curiosity regarding the “life he should have had” and partly out of a sense of obligation.
“She wasn’t mine, she was his; she was a part of his life I would never have. And there was a spinning unreality to that feeling, as if I were the guardian to a fairy tale that had both of them in it. They were the prince and princess if this story, I was its lowly curator and my only function was to ensure that their story would continue.”
Then, as a married man, father and successful author, Gerry asks Kevin to impersonate him in order to break off an affair with Gerry’s domineering and unstable lover (something that Gerry himself lacks the courage to do). Gerry’s lover lives in New York, and Kevin accordingly travels overseas to break it off. And what Kevin does in New York will precipitate a reversal in the fortunes of Kevin and Gerry respectively.
“Mistaken” is written by Neil Jordan who is also a successful screenwriter (he won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay with “The Crying Game”). Jordan’s writing is enjoyable to read, and the story is easy to visualise. The feel of a dog’s tongue on Kevin’s hand is described as “soft, furry fungus”. A group of mourners at a funeral standing under umbrellas are like “so many mushrooms come alive in a fairy forest.”
Jordan’s storytelling technique is also interesting. The novel is split into two narrative. The first narrative takes place in the present day and follows Kevin’s growing friendship with Emily, Gerry’s daughter. Interspersed with this is the second, and main, narrative, which traces Kevin’s life and his experiences being Gerry’s double. It quickly becomes apparent that both narratives are really a long letter that Kevin is writing to Emily.
Jordan is also adept at depicting a Dublin divided by the working class north side and the posh south side. Key scenes take place near notable Dublin landmarks or institutions, such as Trinity College, the Wellington Monument, and Bewleys Oriental Café. Jordan’s love for this city comes through strongly.
I would recommend this curious and compelling novel to anyone interested with the notion of having a doppelganger, or anyone with a love of Irish writing.
The 2011 novel “Mistaken” by Neil Jordan has parallels with Poe’s short story. (In fact, it is even referred to once by the main characters). Like William Wilson, the protagonist of “Mistaken” discovers that he has a double. Growing up in working class Dublin, Kevin Thunder is thrown out of shops by shopkeepers who claim they caught him shoplifting when he was there “last time”. He is approached by girls he has never seen before, who behave as if they already know him. Eventually as a young adult, Kevin meets his double - upper class Gerry Spain. Gerry looks and sounds exactly the same as Kevin. Only their accents and hairstyles differ, reflecting the boys’ different backgrounds. Over the years the two men form a strange relationship as their lives take different trajectories. Despite his apparent privileges, Gerry’s insecurities prompt him to request the more confident Kevin to take over his identity on several occasions (such as breaking the ice with the beautiful girl who will become Gerry’s wife). Such episodes cause Kevin to wonder:
“…were we the same person, the light and shade of the same person? Was I a dream that he dreamt, a darker form of himself, from a subtly different background, was I the part of him he kept at bay, suppressed, that he needed but could never admit to? Or was he a dream that I dreamt, was he the dream of the life I wanted, had I conjured him out of the shards of my pathetic background, was his the life I should have had, but hadn’t got the courage to grasp?”
Despite his misgivings, Kevin agrees to assume Gerry’s identity when he requests it, partly out of curiosity regarding the “life he should have had” and partly out of a sense of obligation.
“She wasn’t mine, she was his; she was a part of his life I would never have. And there was a spinning unreality to that feeling, as if I were the guardian to a fairy tale that had both of them in it. They were the prince and princess if this story, I was its lowly curator and my only function was to ensure that their story would continue.”
Then, as a married man, father and successful author, Gerry asks Kevin to impersonate him in order to break off an affair with Gerry’s domineering and unstable lover (something that Gerry himself lacks the courage to do). Gerry’s lover lives in New York, and Kevin accordingly travels overseas to break it off. And what Kevin does in New York will precipitate a reversal in the fortunes of Kevin and Gerry respectively.
“Mistaken” is written by Neil Jordan who is also a successful screenwriter (he won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay with “The Crying Game”). Jordan’s writing is enjoyable to read, and the story is easy to visualise. The feel of a dog’s tongue on Kevin’s hand is described as “soft, furry fungus”. A group of mourners at a funeral standing under umbrellas are like “so many mushrooms come alive in a fairy forest.”
Jordan’s storytelling technique is also interesting. The novel is split into two narrative. The first narrative takes place in the present day and follows Kevin’s growing friendship with Emily, Gerry’s daughter. Interspersed with this is the second, and main, narrative, which traces Kevin’s life and his experiences being Gerry’s double. It quickly becomes apparent that both narratives are really a long letter that Kevin is writing to Emily.
Jordan is also adept at depicting a Dublin divided by the working class north side and the posh south side. Key scenes take place near notable Dublin landmarks or institutions, such as Trinity College, the Wellington Monument, and Bewleys Oriental Café. Jordan’s love for this city comes through strongly.
I would recommend this curious and compelling novel to anyone interested with the notion of having a doppelganger, or anyone with a love of Irish writing.