The Doubleman

The Doubleman Set in Australia during the folk music revival of the 1960s, this Miles Franklin Award-winning novel follows the story of a folk-rock band called The Rymers and their complex interpersonal dynamics. The narrative centers on guitarist Clive Broderick and the band's producer Richard Miller, whose childhood battle with polio has shaped his worldview and relationship with reality. Their professional collaboration becomes increasingly complicated as fantasy and reality begin to blur. The novel moves between Tasmania and Sydney, exploring the emerging Australian music scene and the intersection of art, ambition, and personal demons. The folk revival serves as both setting and metaphor as the characters navigate their creative pursuits. Through its blend of music, mysticism, and psychological tension, The Doubleman examines themes of artistic authenticity, the price of creative ambition, and the thin line between inspiration and obsession. The novel raises questions about the nature of reality and the sometimes destructive power of imagination.

Readers emphasize the book's focus on music, mysticism and power dynamics in 1950s Tasmania. The novel draws frequent comparisons to Koch's later work The Year of Living Dangerously. Readers appreciate the descriptions of folk music culture and supernatural elements woven through the narrative. Multiple reviews note Koch's ability to capture the isolation and cultural dynamics of mid-century Australia. Several praise the complex character relationships and exploration of manipulation. Common criticisms include a slow-moving first third, shifting narrative perspectives that some find confusing, and what one reader called "needlessly obtuse" mystical elements in the latter half. Goodreads: 3.8/5 (89 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (6 ratings) "Haunting atmosphere but requires patience" - Goodreads reviewer "Brilliant on music, less successful with the supernatural stuff" - LibraryThing review "Worth pushing through the dense opening chapters" - Amazon reviewer

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🎸 The folk music revival of the 1960s, which provides the backdrop for The Doubleman, was heavily influenced by artists like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez who helped transform traditional songs into contemporary political statements. 🦘 Christopher Koch, a native Tasmanian, won the Miles Franklin Award twice - first for The Doubleman (1985) and again for Highways to a War (1996), placing him among Australia's most celebrated authors. 🎭 The term "doubleman" comes from European folklore, referring to a supernatural double or doppelganger that can bring misfortune to the person it mirrors. 🏥 The polio epidemics of the 1950s, which affect a key character in the novel, were particularly severe in Australia, with the peak year of 1951 recording over 10,000 cases nationwide. 🎼 "Fakelore," a term explored in the novel, was coined by American folklorist Richard Dorson in 1950 to describe artificial folklore created for commercial or nationalist purposes.