Like many suspenseful, plot-oriented novels, The Duplicate is short on characterization and setting development. But Sleator himself admits that his primary concern is the creation of a riveting story. He has certainly accomplished this goal in this tightly constructed novel. He manages to keep the reader with him to the end by using short chapters that often end in cliffhangers (as when the brick nearly hits David on the head). The novel does not waste time complicating David's life; by page ten he has already created a duplicate, and he almost immediately begins facing the consequences of his actions.

Sleator also creates a sense of immediacy by letting David tell his story in the present tense, as if it is happening to the reader at the same moment. He also manages to make a rather unbelievable story at least somewhat credible by sharing with the reader...