“A dazzlingly clever and immensely entertaining novel.” –New York Times By chance, John and Jean–one English, the other French–meet in a provincial railway station. Their resemblance to each other is uncanny, and they spend the next few hours talking and drinking – until at last John falls into a drunken stupor. It’s to be his last carefree moment, for when he wakes, Jean has stolen his … identity and disappeared. So the Englishman steps into the Frenchman’s shoes, and faces a variety of perplexing roles – as owner of a chateau, director of a failing business, head of a fractious family, and master of nothing.
Gripping and complex, The Scapegoat is a masterful exploration of doubling and identity, and of the dark side of the self.
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I fell in love with this author when I read Rebecca. This is the third book of hers that I’ve read now and it’s just as good as Rebecca and Jamaica Inn. In this book, two strangers meet by chance and happen to be identical, but unrelated. On a whim, John decides to go have a drink with his newfound twin, then next thing he knows he’s waking up …
The overall premise is unrealistic, but suspend your disbelief and just accept it for what it is: a fantastically told story that will have you engrossed in every scene!
By far the most engrossing, entertaining and sophisticated “doppleganger” story I’ve ever come across!
It is amazing how well Du Maurier sustains the tension and a certain sinister discomfort from one scene to the next throughout the course of this book. She wastes no time in getting the suspense underway. The two men – strangers to each other – …
Daphne Du Maurier–what can I say? I recently re-read this, plus Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel. Soon I will be on to Jamaica Inn. It’s fascinating to read with attention to the themes and situations and even character types that repeat, but all in different combinations and ways, to create unique books.