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Seeing Double
A trio of expats living in Asia form a tenuous bond based on mutual attraction, sexual obsession and the insatiable desire to experience the deadliest of thrills.
As their relationship matures, the dangerous love triangle in which they’ve become entwined quickly escalates into a series of brutal sexual conquests as they struggle to deal with lives spinning out of control and the debilitating psychological effects of mental and physical abuse.
Known for her distinctive brand of unsettling fiction, author Karen Runge is at the top of the modern horror game in this, her premiere novel. Seeing Double is a beautifully evocative and stunningly dark coming-of-age exploration of human sexuality and the roles of masculinity and feminism, polyamorous relationships, social and psychological isolation, and the humiliation of ultimate betrayal.
As their relationship matures, the dangerous love triangle in which they’ve become entwined quickly escalates into a series of brutal sexual conquests as they struggle to deal with lives spinning out of control and the debilitating psychological effects of mental and physical abuse.
Known for her distinctive brand of unsettling fiction, author Karen Runge is at the top of the modern horror game in this, her premiere novel. Seeing Double is a beautifully evocative and stunningly dark coming-of-age exploration of human sexuality and the roles of masculinity and feminism, polyamorous relationships, social and psychological isolation, and the humiliation of ultimate betrayal.
- GenresHorror
247 pages, Paperback
First published July 25, 2017
3 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Karen Runge
20 books49 followersKaren Runge was born in Paris, France, in October 1983. The daughter of a diplomat, her family lived in France and then Gabon before returning to their native South Africa when she was a young child.
She is a horror writer, sometimes an artist, and works teaching adults English as a second language. She is currently working on two separate novels.
She is a horror writer, sometimes an artist, and works teaching adults English as a second language. She is currently working on two separate novels.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 5, 2020
Rounded up from 3.5 stars.
This is excellently and exquisitely written and very, very dark. It goes a bit pear-shaped in the end but is mostly very good.
This is excellently and exquisitely written and very, very dark. It goes a bit pear-shaped in the end but is mostly very good.
March 12, 2020
Well, that's the most fucked up bildungsroman I have ever read. I hate to be so glib, but for this book, I need to be. First off, if you do not like to be shocked (and I mean shocked like I read and watch a LOT and am rarely shocked), please stop reading my review here if you are squeamish. I do not usually like to put a trigger warning on anything, but Runge has written a dark gem that cuts deep, and those who are triggered or easily upset by the disturbed, self-harm, harm of others, this is NOT for you.
If you are intrigued, let's continue.
Having already read Runge's "Doll Crimes" I was at least a little primed for her work, but even then, I am shook. I read this because I like to make my own opinions about the darkness, or violence of a book or film. Runge also happens to be a lovely writer of startling prose. Usually, when I read true crime or not books that will never see the best seller's list, I am not enamored of the writing. Runge makes me slow down, makes me really unpack her lines, serious prose, despite the seriously despicable content. Seeing Double has had me needing to talk about this book, but it's not something I would just bring to a ladies' book club, luckily my husband is a good sport, and let me unpack.
So, why should you read this book? The writing is so solid, and read this if you want to think deeply about growing up, and how individuals deal with adolescent trauma as adults. The depravity here is not just for shock value, it does invite readers to really stop and think about what is really at play. Sure, you won't like a single character, but you'll get a deep look at their psyche, and while it's nightmare fuel, it does pose a lot of interesting questions.
If you are intrigued, let's continue.
Having already read Runge's "Doll Crimes" I was at least a little primed for her work, but even then, I am shook. I read this because I like to make my own opinions about the darkness, or violence of a book or film. Runge also happens to be a lovely writer of startling prose. Usually, when I read true crime or not books that will never see the best seller's list, I am not enamored of the writing. Runge makes me slow down, makes me really unpack her lines, serious prose, despite the seriously despicable content. Seeing Double has had me needing to talk about this book, but it's not something I would just bring to a ladies' book club, luckily my husband is a good sport, and let me unpack.
So, why should you read this book? The writing is so solid, and read this if you want to think deeply about growing up, and how individuals deal with adolescent trauma as adults. The depravity here is not just for shock value, it does invite readers to really stop and think about what is really at play. Sure, you won't like a single character, but you'll get a deep look at their psyche, and while it's nightmare fuel, it does pose a lot of interesting questions.
August 5, 2017
Do you read a lot of dark fiction? If you haven't read Karen Runge yet, it's my opinion that you don't read enough.
SEEING DOUBLE is a brutal look at love and how we learn to look ourselves. And how, if possible, we learn to love ourself and others.
When the mirror finally shatters, what if no one is around to pick up the pieces? We are all well and truly alone.
If you're prepared to take a truly dark journey, pick up a copy of SEEING DOUBLE now.
SEEING DOUBLE is a brutal look at love and how we learn to look ourselves. And how, if possible, we learn to love ourself and others.
When the mirror finally shatters, what if no one is around to pick up the pieces? We are all well and truly alone.
If you're prepared to take a truly dark journey, pick up a copy of SEEING DOUBLE now.
February 17, 2018
Seeing Double is an elegantly composed psychological symphony of horror. Brutally erotic, deliciously uncanny, and extremely graphic, Runge's novel is not for readers with weak constitutions.
March 26, 2018
I think that, of all the monsters in literature, vampires are possibly the most frightening because of their ability to turn us against ourselves. Unlike the zombie or werewolf who begin as human and then become some perverse abstraction of humanity, vampires begin as soulless demons and then transform themselves in what we desire most. Karen Runge’s novel, “Seeing Double”, is about that kind of duality and, although not a vampire story in a supernatural sense, it certainly read and terrified me the way that vampire novels do.
“Seeing Double” follows four expats living in seclusion in Cambodia, I think it was, but that hardly seems to matter because the world outside these four feels so distant that they could be anywhere. They begin whirlwind affair that spirals out of control to the point where they’re abducting people, drugging them, and maiming them for sexual pleasure. What’s so unnerving about the story is that it’s told from alternating points of view between Ada and Daniel, who are the center, and their alternating lovers, Cassandra and Neven, (just like vampire familiars) and even with so many voices crowding the novel, Runge’s novel builds a sense of claustrophobia through her writing so that these four feel like the entire world.
Everyone outside is meaningless. There are scenes where the vampires are at the bar, looking for their next victim, and laughing at the meaninglessness of their existence. But, like Nabakov’s treatment of Humbert Humbert in Lolita, (another story that presents us with a kind of duality in its central character) because we’re seeing the world through the eyes of these four, we identify with their isolationist nihilism, and follow with them into subsequent insanity.
This book is filled with graphic sexual violence to a point where it would seem to fetishize the practice, but I never really felt like that was the intent. There’s always an emotional hook to it that makes it work. It isn’t pointless or exploitative. Although I seldom found it to be erotic, I did find myself captivated by characters so emotionally porous that only the most depraved and abominable sexual acts could fill the holes. Emotional holes, that is.
A few notes about this book that you should consider before reading. It is possibly the most extreme horror novel that I’ve ever read that earned it’s gross-out. There’s a lot of extreme horror that goes for the jugular in the first chapter with vivid descriptions of the most seditious, violable acts you could possibly imagine in the hopes of making you go, “eww”, but this book actually builds up to such intensity and takes its time. It is a difficult book to stomach. Also, it’s written with a moody kind of language that sings beautifully, but doesn’t vary too much in tone. It’s bleak and introspective throughout, so if you don’t like that kind of writing or these kinds of black detours of disgust then you’re not going to like this book. In short, this book has teeth, and by reading Karen Runge’s “Seeing Double” you have to give a piece of yourself to it and let it suck your blood. I, for one, was delighted to do so.
“Seeing Double” follows four expats living in seclusion in Cambodia, I think it was, but that hardly seems to matter because the world outside these four feels so distant that they could be anywhere. They begin whirlwind affair that spirals out of control to the point where they’re abducting people, drugging them, and maiming them for sexual pleasure. What’s so unnerving about the story is that it’s told from alternating points of view between Ada and Daniel, who are the center, and their alternating lovers, Cassandra and Neven, (just like vampire familiars) and even with so many voices crowding the novel, Runge’s novel builds a sense of claustrophobia through her writing so that these four feel like the entire world.
Everyone outside is meaningless. There are scenes where the vampires are at the bar, looking for their next victim, and laughing at the meaninglessness of their existence. But, like Nabakov’s treatment of Humbert Humbert in Lolita, (another story that presents us with a kind of duality in its central character) because we’re seeing the world through the eyes of these four, we identify with their isolationist nihilism, and follow with them into subsequent insanity.
This book is filled with graphic sexual violence to a point where it would seem to fetishize the practice, but I never really felt like that was the intent. There’s always an emotional hook to it that makes it work. It isn’t pointless or exploitative. Although I seldom found it to be erotic, I did find myself captivated by characters so emotionally porous that only the most depraved and abominable sexual acts could fill the holes. Emotional holes, that is.
A few notes about this book that you should consider before reading. It is possibly the most extreme horror novel that I’ve ever read that earned it’s gross-out. There’s a lot of extreme horror that goes for the jugular in the first chapter with vivid descriptions of the most seditious, violable acts you could possibly imagine in the hopes of making you go, “eww”, but this book actually builds up to such intensity and takes its time. It is a difficult book to stomach. Also, it’s written with a moody kind of language that sings beautifully, but doesn’t vary too much in tone. It’s bleak and introspective throughout, so if you don’t like that kind of writing or these kinds of black detours of disgust then you’re not going to like this book. In short, this book has teeth, and by reading Karen Runge’s “Seeing Double” you have to give a piece of yourself to it and let it suck your blood. I, for one, was delighted to do so.
July 21, 2017
Seeing Double by Karen Runge is the sensual, gruesome and dreamlike story of a trio of expats living in Asia, each seeking mastery over personal trauma through escalating acts of sexual sadism — think Poppy Z. Brite set in Hong Kong.
Ada, Daniel, and Neven are partners, lovers, and enablers, yet even at their most intimate the main theme screams through the subtext: one person can never truly know another. We are all fractured beings, presenting different versions of ourselves to different people, sometimes literally — and to be honest that’s my only criticism. The doppelgänger thread at times felt like a stray hair trying to weave its way into a tapestry. It didn’t feel like an organic part of the whole, and the figurative duality conveyed through shifting viewpoints and narrative modes was more than sufficient without making it literal.
That said, Runge’s writing is so fucking exquisite that this small flaw didn’t matter much. I’m a bit of a snob, okay? And horror novels, even the good ones, do not often impress me with their attention to craft and style, but Runge has serious chops. She tells a story with complex characters and relationships, intense atmosphere, dynamic pacing, and let’s talk for a second about the violence... even at its most harrowing the gore is never gratuitous. Every brutal act is authentically motivated and has far-reaching consequences.
Seeing Double is gorgeous, unflinching, and will stay with you long after the last page. Read it. I dare you.
Ada, Daniel, and Neven are partners, lovers, and enablers, yet even at their most intimate the main theme screams through the subtext: one person can never truly know another. We are all fractured beings, presenting different versions of ourselves to different people, sometimes literally — and to be honest that’s my only criticism. The doppelgänger thread at times felt like a stray hair trying to weave its way into a tapestry. It didn’t feel like an organic part of the whole, and the figurative duality conveyed through shifting viewpoints and narrative modes was more than sufficient without making it literal.
That said, Runge’s writing is so fucking exquisite that this small flaw didn’t matter much. I’m a bit of a snob, okay? And horror novels, even the good ones, do not often impress me with their attention to craft and style, but Runge has serious chops. She tells a story with complex characters and relationships, intense atmosphere, dynamic pacing, and let’s talk for a second about the violence... even at its most harrowing the gore is never gratuitous. Every brutal act is authentically motivated and has far-reaching consequences.
Seeing Double is gorgeous, unflinching, and will stay with you long after the last page. Read it. I dare you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2019
WARNING my reviews are rubbish.
This book is a shock to the system. One particular scene in chapter 22 almost made me lose my over-priced Italian lunch. Karen Runge has the ability to take seemingly mundane characters to extremely dark places.
Ada one of the lead characters (sometimes narrator) has a talent for apathy and (self) hatred that resonates with me. Through Ada, Karen Runge expresses emotions which I have always felt but had seldom encountered in others.
"What a banal thing to say. What a pointless, meaningless platitude thrown out to fill the silence".
"It was choking me, this helpless fury. I wanted to cry but I couldn't. Needing a release I couldn't name."
The novel moves at a quick pace, the characters are dark and interesting, the final stretch of the novel is magnificent in the darkest way possible.
This book is a shock to the system. One particular scene in chapter 22 almost made me lose my over-priced Italian lunch. Karen Runge has the ability to take seemingly mundane characters to extremely dark places.
Ada one of the lead characters (sometimes narrator) has a talent for apathy and (self) hatred that resonates with me. Through Ada, Karen Runge expresses emotions which I have always felt but had seldom encountered in others.
"What a banal thing to say. What a pointless, meaningless platitude thrown out to fill the silence".
"It was choking me, this helpless fury. I wanted to cry but I couldn't. Needing a release I couldn't name."
The novel moves at a quick pace, the characters are dark and interesting, the final stretch of the novel is magnificent in the darkest way possible.
October 2, 2019
I read this book ages ago, but I thoroughly enjoyed the darkness that Karen Runge put to page.
April 26, 2019
Wow, this book was definitely an experience. And I mean a good one! It won’t be for everyone, but if you like your fiction dark with a capital darrrr, then you can’t go wrong with this story of sexual brutality.
Ada and Daniel are just your average married couple, together for the love and happiness a life-long devotion brings. Kind of. They move to (?) Cambodia where they really feel like outsiders in this strange city with an obviously very different culture.
But Ada and Daniel, despite what I just said, ain’t that average after all. You see, their idea of a good time is to pick up people in a bar, invite them back to their place, drug them, and have their extremely wicked way with them.
But when they come across one such ‘subject’, Neven, he gets wise to their plans before they have chance to infect him with their knock-em-out-for-sordid-sex drug. And would you believe it, he’s very keen to join their ‘seduction club’.
As the novel progresses these three partake in practices that will have you wincing like a prude. None of these characters are in the least bit likeable, but with their tragic backstories interspersed with the narrative, you kind of empathise with them. A little bit. Even though you shouldn’t. This, of course, is down to the quality of the writing.
At around the halfway stage I wondered where the story was going. But as I entered the final third, I was hooked.
I’m not going to give details but the ending was superb, and certainly not what I was expecting. Things suddenly go from ‘realistic’ to ‘woah, what the…?’
The book is clever in the way that the chapters weave between third person story-telling to first person, where we learn the backgrounds of these sexual deviants. At times in these backstories, you’re not entirely sure who is speaking, which makes the book even more gripping.
The weirdness stakes are stacked high as the novel reaches its dramatic conclusion, you begin to wonder who are the real monsters? Are they monsters after all? Was it nature or nurture? But as the tagline says, even monsters can love.
If you want to be grossed out, creeped out, and never speak to a married couple in a bar in the same way ever again, then check this out!
Ada and Daniel are just your average married couple, together for the love and happiness a life-long devotion brings. Kind of. They move to (?) Cambodia where they really feel like outsiders in this strange city with an obviously very different culture.
But Ada and Daniel, despite what I just said, ain’t that average after all. You see, their idea of a good time is to pick up people in a bar, invite them back to their place, drug them, and have their extremely wicked way with them.
But when they come across one such ‘subject’, Neven, he gets wise to their plans before they have chance to infect him with their knock-em-out-for-sordid-sex drug. And would you believe it, he’s very keen to join their ‘seduction club’.
As the novel progresses these three partake in practices that will have you wincing like a prude. None of these characters are in the least bit likeable, but with their tragic backstories interspersed with the narrative, you kind of empathise with them. A little bit. Even though you shouldn’t. This, of course, is down to the quality of the writing.
At around the halfway stage I wondered where the story was going. But as I entered the final third, I was hooked.
I’m not going to give details but the ending was superb, and certainly not what I was expecting. Things suddenly go from ‘realistic’ to ‘woah, what the…?’
The book is clever in the way that the chapters weave between third person story-telling to first person, where we learn the backgrounds of these sexual deviants. At times in these backstories, you’re not entirely sure who is speaking, which makes the book even more gripping.
The weirdness stakes are stacked high as the novel reaches its dramatic conclusion, you begin to wonder who are the real monsters? Are they monsters after all? Was it nature or nurture? But as the tagline says, even monsters can love.
If you want to be grossed out, creeped out, and never speak to a married couple in a bar in the same way ever again, then check this out!
May 28, 2019
Haunting and viciously, brutally honest. It’s pretty rare to find such a gory (and knowing) examination of psychopathy written in such beautiful language.
The portrait of these characters’ love/sex/torture/murder triangle unfolds in a steady stream without once being either too slow or too pedal to the metal. Runge gives you just enough in each chapter to keep you turning pages, and delves into territory rarely explored in such realistic depth. Runge offers an advanced-level tour of the sociopathic world and reminds us that while a few may arrive at the most depraved depths in one catastrophic plunge, for others it’s often a long descent.
A horror novel that’s so much more than blood and a body count, and another stellar offering from Grey Matter Press.
One word of warning: This is an adult book, and definitely not for the easily offended or squeamish.
The portrait of these characters’ love/sex/torture/murder triangle unfolds in a steady stream without once being either too slow or too pedal to the metal. Runge gives you just enough in each chapter to keep you turning pages, and delves into territory rarely explored in such realistic depth. Runge offers an advanced-level tour of the sociopathic world and reminds us that while a few may arrive at the most depraved depths in one catastrophic plunge, for others it’s often a long descent.
A horror novel that’s so much more than blood and a body count, and another stellar offering from Grey Matter Press.
One word of warning: This is an adult book, and definitely not for the easily offended or squeamish.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews