The Duplicate
{{Short description|1988 novel by William Sleator}}
{{For|the 1998 Bollywood film|Duplicate (disambiguation)}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{infobox book|
| name = The Duplicate
| title_orig =
| translator =
| image = File:The_Duplicate.jpg
| caption =
| author = William Sleator
| illustrator =
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| country = United States
| language = English
| series =
| genre = Science fiction
| publisher = Penguin Books
| release_date = 1988
| media_type = Print & paperback)
| pages = 164 pages (Puffin paperback)
| isbn =
| preceded_by =
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}}
The Duplicate, published in 1988, is a science fiction novel for young adults written by William Sleator.{{cite book |last1=Davis |first1=James E. |last2=Davis |first2=Hazel K. |title=Presenting William Sleator |date=1992 |publisher=Twayne Publishers |isbn=9780805782158 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eaYOAQAAMAAJ |access-date=14 April 2023}} The novel explores themes of identity.{{cite journal |last1=Phipps |first1=Gregory |title=Death and Recognition in William Sleator's The Duplicate and G. W. F. Hegel's Parable of Lordship and Bondage |journal=Children's Literature |date=2021 |volume=49|pages=114–138 |doi=10.1353/chl.2021.0008 |s2cid=236735321 }}
Plot summary
The main character, David, finds a device at the beach that can duplicate any living organism. After testing the device on his pet fish, David makes a clone of himself so that he could go on a date with his crush, Angela, while his clone attends his grandmother's birthday. His plan backfires because the Duplicate believes himself to be the original, and refuses to take orders. David ends up having to go to his grandmother's birthday after he loses a coin toss to the duplicate.
David's real problems begin when the Duplicate uses the device to create a clone of himself. The new duplicate is a less-than-perfect reproduction, being a copy of a copy, and has goals and desires that differ from the original David. Eventually, the second duplicate turns on Angela and the original David, and he has to find a way to stop him. Later, he stumbles upon something that will change his life.
Critical reception
The book was praised by outlets including The New York Times,{{cite news |title=Children's Books; Bookshelf |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/27/books/children-s-books-bookshelf-834788.html |access-date=14 April 2023 |agency=The New York Times |date=27 November 1988}} the St. Petersburg Times,{{cite news |last1=Winkel |first1=Lois |title=An abundance of good reading |agency=St. Petersburg Times |date=22 May 1988}} and San Francisco Chronicle, which called the story "a singularly clear moment of horror intruding on daily life."{{cite news |last1=Parikh |first1=Neel |title=Sci-Fi Fantasies of the Future |agency=San Francisco Chronicle |date=12 June 1988}} Kirkus Reviews also praised the book, though writing that the characters, particularly Angela, lacked dimension.{{cite news |title=The Duplicate |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/william-sleator/the-duplicate/ |access-date=14 April 2023 |agency=Kirkus Reviews |date=15 March 1988}}
See also
{{portal|Novels|Children and Young Adult Literature}}
- The Duplicated Man by James Blish and Robert Lowndes
- Round the Twist episode “The Copy”
References
{{reflist}}
{{William Sleator}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duplicate, The}}
Category:Novels by William Sleator
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