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The Man With Two Shadows
Maugham's novel is not only a study of that strange and frightening phenomenon of the mind known as dissociation of personality, but is also an enthralling story of adventure, love and intrigue in North Africa. The hero's appalling disability, as a result of a head wound during the war (WWII), adds immeasurably to the danger of his already hazardous work with MI-5. An engrossing tale of a man's developing fear of himself as he becomes more and more entangled in a web of mystery and violence which starts in Cairo, spreads to Tangier and London, and reaches its final climax in a remote cottage in Sussex. New edition of this work originally published in 1958.
155 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1958
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 16, 2014
1.PENGUIN READERS level 3
2. 90 min
3. scared strange man rich dead offer marriage
4. Do you like strange story?
Yes, I do.
5 this book is composed of five parts. All of story was really scary and interesting.
This book isn’t horror but mystery. It took me for a long time to solve some problem, but it was very good book. That’s why I gave this book five stars.
January 15, 2024
Maugham packs a lot into his short novel about a travel writer/spy.
While it is a spy novel and thriller, it is also a psychological study. We catch glimpses of our protagonists' childhood and war service, both of which contribute to his split personality.
I'm a little bit in awe of how Maugham, with apparent ease, fits so much into 124 pages.
While it is a spy novel and thriller, it is also a psychological study. We catch glimpses of our protagonists' childhood and war service, both of which contribute to his split personality.
I'm a little bit in awe of how Maugham, with apparent ease, fits so much into 124 pages.
March 31, 2026
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featuring the Ace paperback cover art and for over 1000 book reviews in all genres
This split-personality novel is a literary blend of espionage and suspense. Before writing novels, Maugham was an intelligence operative in the Middle East and like his main character, experienced blackouts resulting from a head injury.
British Army officer Peter Grant suffered a severe head wound and was invalided out to the Hospital for Head Injuries. Now, in 1946, he returns to Morocco as a freelance journalist at the request of Chief Liaison Officer General Maddern. An Arabic speaker, Peter has the perfect cover for an 'unofficial observer'. In the back of his mind are concerns about recurring memory lapses since his injury, repeating to calm himself "It's all over, and I am well again."
He recalls in childhood, wanting to be like the boys' adventure heroes with names like Tommy, instances of blackouts even then. Working with a network of men, they notice no difference when the curtain falls over his mind—perhaps he acts overconfident, but not drunk. Hesitant to reveal his condition and be sent home, more often he awakens without memory with strangers who call him Tommy. He forms a trust with a fellow agent who has infiltrated a network smuggling Communists to the wrong side of the Iron Curtain, until the shutter falls over Peter's mind and the man is killed. The dissociation turns despair into madness as he becomes aware Tommy has taken over—to such an extent he becomes the narrator, and we see the events from a new perspective.
His bouts of 'retrogressive amnesia' feel appropriately disjointed, and there is a dangerous undercurrent throughout. A British agent and a Communist conflicting within the same mind is unique, but Maugham himself was 'unashamedly homosexual', and also present is the duality of secretive relationships. This descent into darkness has resonance, and I wish it were easier to find or available in a digital format. A complex gem I enjoyed.
Robin Cecil Romer Maugham, the 2nd Viscount Maugham and nephew of literary great W. Somerset Maugham, was a barrister and successful author. His novella The Servant (1948) became the classic 1963 Dirk Bogarde film. Actor Sal Mineo was unsuccessful in filming Maugham's gay psychological thriller The Wrong People (published under the pseudonym David Griffin in 1967). Too controversial at the time, a 2026 film is now in production.
featuring the Ace paperback cover art and for over 1000 book reviews in all genres
This split-personality novel is a literary blend of espionage and suspense. Before writing novels, Maugham was an intelligence operative in the Middle East and like his main character, experienced blackouts resulting from a head injury.
British Army officer Peter Grant suffered a severe head wound and was invalided out to the Hospital for Head Injuries. Now, in 1946, he returns to Morocco as a freelance journalist at the request of Chief Liaison Officer General Maddern. An Arabic speaker, Peter has the perfect cover for an 'unofficial observer'. In the back of his mind are concerns about recurring memory lapses since his injury, repeating to calm himself "It's all over, and I am well again."
He recalls in childhood, wanting to be like the boys' adventure heroes with names like Tommy, instances of blackouts even then. Working with a network of men, they notice no difference when the curtain falls over his mind—perhaps he acts overconfident, but not drunk. Hesitant to reveal his condition and be sent home, more often he awakens without memory with strangers who call him Tommy. He forms a trust with a fellow agent who has infiltrated a network smuggling Communists to the wrong side of the Iron Curtain, until the shutter falls over Peter's mind and the man is killed. The dissociation turns despair into madness as he becomes aware Tommy has taken over—to such an extent he becomes the narrator, and we see the events from a new perspective.
His bouts of 'retrogressive amnesia' feel appropriately disjointed, and there is a dangerous undercurrent throughout. A British agent and a Communist conflicting within the same mind is unique, but Maugham himself was 'unashamedly homosexual', and also present is the duality of secretive relationships. This descent into darkness has resonance, and I wish it were easier to find or available in a digital format. A complex gem I enjoyed.
Robin Cecil Romer Maugham, the 2nd Viscount Maugham and nephew of literary great W. Somerset Maugham, was a barrister and successful author. His novella The Servant (1948) became the classic 1963 Dirk Bogarde film. Actor Sal Mineo was unsuccessful in filming Maugham's gay psychological thriller The Wrong People (published under the pseudonym David Griffin in 1967). Too controversial at the time, a 2026 film is now in production.
June 30, 2025
I found this book a bit confusing but it was still a good thriller/adventure story. It took me a while to figure out the narrator had a"dissociative personality disorder" which was the explanation for two "different" people doing counter-productive things. The narrator is a journalist/sometimes spy. He had a serious head injury in WW2.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews