This is definitely not for the average reader. At times it can be difficult to slog through as you read about a depressed history teacher and his ponderings on monk fish. Frankly, the main character is as unlikable as he is boring but it is his discoveries through the story that are engaging. If you quit the book before the full story unfolds, you are missing out on the surprises. If you can endure a plotline that is slow to reveal and a story that is more literature than fiction, I think you will enjoy The Double.