Though it’s not “Zernial”, I do have an uncommon name. I live in Chicago and there’s a man with the same name living in a nearby suburb. I’ve received mail for him, sent by an estranged family member trying to reestablish contact. He has received mail intended for me, sympathy cards following the death of my father. In both instances, we opened the items by mistake but returned the them to the sender.

I’ve never met or contacted this other me.

We share nothing in common but a name but, by virtue of that name being rare, we’ve inadvertantly learned intimate details of each others lives.

Unlike some of the other doppelganger scenarios mentioned above, I don’t fear, resent, or have any antipathy towards him. Still, there’s an odd sense of displacement and I can’t help but wonder if he feels the same way.

I had to phone a Doppelgänger in my large company once. That was strange.

“Hello”
“Hello, is this David X”?
“Yes”
“Yes, I’m, uh, David X, from another part of company Y….”

Still, I’d watch out for this DG fellow and his penchant for gambling.

Maybe this DG fellow will call up Josh?

I swear I read City of Glass, as I went through a Paul Auster phase a decade or so ago. I don’t remember anything your describing, though

I do remember that Philip Roth’s ‘Operation Shylock’ revolved around an impostor Philip Roth.

You need to find Mookie Wilker, Josh.

I, as I’m sure is the case with most everyone, am often told that I remind people of someone else. Only once, though, have I ever actually seen somebody that I personally thought looked like me. And I thought this guy was a spitting image. Similar features. Similar glasses frame, hair, the whole bit. He had a small tattoo, which I would never have, but other than that . . . My reaction to this was, for some reason, to want to punch this DG in the face. I’m not a violent guy, but I seriously wanted to punch this person and say to him, “Who do you think you are? I’m me. I am me!”

The other thing I am reminded of, of course, is Michael Bolton in Office Space. “Why should I change my name. He’s the one that sucks.”

Identity can be a tenuous thing, I guess.