DR DEMARR, by Paul Theroux (Vintage, $52).
IN DR DeMarr Paul Theroux takes the reader into the strange and confusing world of Gilbert DeMarr, a bizarre reclusive character who is only able to communicate to women, and the outside world in general, through lies and deception.
His inability to declare his true self to those he admires or loves stems from his quest for individuality, which in itself stems from his claustrophobic and limiting childhood as one half of the Demarr twins. Theroux depicts the twins' early life as a struggle for identity, where the merest difference, a cracked tooth, a curl of hair, was leapt upon as evidence of their uniqueness.
This constant battle results in the disappearance of Gilbert's brother, George, whose reappearance 20 years later brings about events that dramatically alter Gilbert's life forever.
Gilbert impersonates his brother, taking over his life. In Theroux's masterly handling of the subtleties of his characters this device, so central to the book's themes, is executed convincingly. Gilbert's desire to alter the course of events that have shaped his brother's life shows his need to express his individuality; in short to show how he would have done things and done them right.
Theroux's characters in Dr DeMarr are not of this world, they inhabit a strange twilight existence that is in keeping with their lack of connection with the real world. Through his sparse, concise style, which reflects the empty nature of Gilbert's reality, Theroux's novella creates the mood the story-line demands.