“THE DOUBLE” COULDN’T BE MORE TIMELYOctober 16, 2026
As the midterm elections approach, you may wonder where America could be heading. You’ll find one disturbing—yet entertaining—possibility in my new novel, “The Double.”
Sure, I’m plugging my book. Why wouldn’t I? This is my blog. But hear me out. As a concerned citizen, I’ve written a page-turning Kafkaesque fable that’s not only spellbinding—merit enough—but issues a dire warning. Because as things stand, America is inching towards a dictatorship that seeks to hide behind a democratic (small “d”) façade.
In “The Double,” the nation involved is not the United States. It’s referred to only as The Fatherland. However, I don’t try to hide its inspiration and the traits The Fatherland shares with several very real and menacing autocracies.
So, here’s the first of three tastes, starting at the beginning with a government functionary about to kidnapped in broad daylight:
“As Viktor X. threaded his way through an obstacle course of Citizens dodging the tea-colored puddles scattered across the cobbled Plaza of Heroes, two Gray Men entered his line of sight. Viktor slowed. He could not resist discovering who might be their hapless victim. The Gray Men picked up their pace. Given the task with which he’d been charged, Viktor relented and picked up his own. The Deputy Minister of Trade had assigned him a vital mission to the Presidential Palace. Viktor understood that his career depended on obedience and punctuality. Also, on treating truth with a considerable degree of flexibility.”
Plaza of Heroes? Gray Men? Presidential Palace? Obedience? Flexible truth? Who does all this bring to mind?
Now, taste two. Earlier, Viktor stood in his superior’s office:
“Over the Deputy Minister’s left shoulder hung a reproduction of one of the President’s varied and distinctive official portraits…. Viktor maintained his gaze at the portrait long enough to note that the President displayed a barely upturned smile resembling one he had observed in a photograph of a chameleon. The President’s reptilian grin—smirk? sneer?—ceaselessly shifted between fatherly and sinister.”
The ”Exalted Father” has ruled for two decades with an iron fist, although he was once elected. Does this seem familiar across the Atlantic? Across the Pacific? A possibility closer to home?
Taste three: Viktor assesses his career.
“Did the Deputy Minister have some plan for him, even if Viktor increasingly doubted himself? On the credit side, Viktor took his work analyzing foreign trade seriously despite often being called out by his fellow functionaries as near-scandalously inquisitive. To the upper echelon in the Ministry and at the Palace, inquisitive stood as a synonym for troublesome.”
Would DOGE have axed him?
In this thriller, Viktor is called on to protect the President by serving as one of several doubles. Rigorous training will enable him to risk his life in nearly impossible situations. The plot twists and turns. Magical realism adds additional spice.
So, if you’ve been sitting out the midterms because the presidential election doesn’t take place for two more years, think about putting some brakes on the next two years right now.
Donate to candidates (or double down, pun intended), speak out, and make a difference. Because we could all end up in the same boat as Viktor X. and his fellow Citizens suffering daily abuse in The Fatherland.
Which would be a singular tragedy.
Order THE DOUBLE from amazon, barnesandnoble.com, iuniverse.com/bookstore—or from your favorite book store.