I Know This Much Is True

by Wally Lamb

Hardcover, 1998

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Genres

General Fiction

Collection

Your library

Publication

Regan Books (1998), Edition: 1st, 901 pages

Description

Dominick Birdsey, a forty-year-old housepainter living in Three Rivers, Connecticut, finds his life greatly disturbed when his identical twin brother Thomas, a paranoid schizophrenic, commits a shocking act of self-mutilation.

User reviews

LibraryThing member girlunderglass

I don't know what I can say about this book that will make you go and read it NOW. I wish you would just go and read it because I said so, but that's not how these things work. So I'll start by stating boldly that I haven't read anything this good in a very long time. Although I'm not sure it's the

best way to go with this one, let me lay out the plot for you a bit. [I Know This Much Is True] is essentially the story of two brothers: Dominick - our protagonist and narrator - and Thomas, his schizophrenic identical twin. They do not know who their real father is and their stepfather is...well...let's just say he's not a role model. Their family history is a big mystery. And their lives are pretty much as f***ed up as they can get. Sounds like a big cliché? If only all books were such stunning and heartbreaking clichés. Like all amazing works of literature, [I Know This Much Is True] contains little glimpses of life itself, scattered all over the place. Reading the words on every page feels a bit like sucking on your favorite lollipop - you just have to stop every now and then, the better to savour its taste. Me, I had to pause a bit after each paragraph. As soon as I started it I knew it would be one of those books...the ones you're sad to say goodbye to, the ones you want to keep reading forever. The storytelling is fantastic, nothing overdone, but nothing understated either. The plot is compelling and believable, the conclusion is realistic yet extremely touching, and the characters simply steal your heart. Not one person feels secondary in this book; everyone has a role, everyone has a story, there are no peripheral "flat" characters that are just there to fill a void. The book manages to discuss and explore religion, racism, identity, education, politics, war, parentage, jealousy, immigration, history, and pretty much everything in between. Also, bonus points go to the writer for the effort he has put into researching the issues that the book explores: Lamb has evidently done his homework on schizophrenia, on twin brothers. on the Italian immigration to America, on psychoanalysis, on the history and geography of the area where he places his characters and weaves his story. Like many reviewers of this book have done before me, I urge you not to be put off by its size. Believe me, as soon as you start reading it, you will want it to be long. There are about 5 novels that can brag about having made me cry. This is one of them.

Opening sentence: "On the afternoon of October 12, 1990, my twin brother Thomas entered the Three Rivers, Connecticut Public Library, retreated to one of the rear study carrels, and prayed to God the sacrifice he was about to commit would be deemed acceptable."

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LibraryThing member ClaudiaMoscovici

Wally Lamb’s second novel, I know this much is true, sets the bar very high for contemporary psychological fiction. Today’s readers have little patience with this genre. The best-known authors of psychological fiction, Henry James and Marcel Proust, have become relegated to the pages of

literary history. Sure, we regard them as giants in the literary canon. But from that to actually having the patience to read them… Few contemporary readers take the time to appreciate all the nuances of James’ minute descriptions of gestures, gazes, hidden undercurrents and how each movement reflects the depth of human feelings and desires. Yet fewer take the time to follow all of Proust’s minute analyses of human motivations and page-long, tortuous sentences.

In his first two novels, Wally Lamb makes this now arcane genre palatable to contemporary readers. “I know this Much is True” traces the lives of two twin brothers: the narrator, Dominick Birdsey, an English teacher who has suffered through a troubled family life, an abusive stepfather, a failing marriage, a pathological relationship with his younger girlfriend (and her lover), and, above all, the burden and duty of taking care of Thomas, his fraternal twin who develops paranoid schizophrenia at the age of 19.

This novel is a psychological tour-de-force, both in its vivid characterizations (even Dominick’s sleazy friend and foil, Leo, is completely believable) and in its detailed descriptions of mental illness and how it affects both the individual who suffers from it and those who care about him. To describe mental illness in a way mainstream readers have the patience to read is no easy task. Lamb does a masterful job of giving us a multidimensional picture of paranoid schizophrenia both from within Thomas’ deteriorating mental state and from without, by depicting Dominick’s struggles to save his brother from the illness that overtakes his life and to protect him from the reactions of others. By showing us a before and after schizophrenia picture of Thomas, we can relate to him as a human being and follow the painful challenges he and his family face in dealing with his mental illness. Finally, Lamb’s style–accessible yet sophisticated–renders the lost genre of “psychological fiction” what it really should be: mainstream fiction of the highest caliber.

Claudia Moscovici, Notablewriters.com

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LibraryThing member jimrgill

A Masterpiece

Few authors write with the skill, the compassion, the insight into human nature—the almost preternatural understanding of what it means to struggle with one’s identity, one’s humanity—that Wally Lamb displays when he tells a story. But to imply that Lamb “simply” tells

stories is to do him a disservice. He, in fact, creates worlds that mirror our own life experiences and tells stories that penetrate to the very depths of our knowledge.

In “I Know This Much is True,” Lamb tells the story of Dominick and Thomas Birdsey, identical twin brothers with anything but identical life experiences. One of the driving themes of the novel is Dominick’s quest for his identity. As he narrates the tale, he implies that any number of elements—his ability to distinguish himself from his schizophrenic brother, discovering their father’s identity, understanding how he managed to destroy his marriage to Dessa, his ex-wife—will provide him with the comfort he so desperately seeks.

Epic and sprawling (in the best of all possible ways), this novel almost defies summary. And, after all, summarizing it would reduce it to mere story. This is a novel that MUST be experienced. Lamb’s skill as a storyteller is on a par with John Irving, Toni Morrison, and William Faulkner. He is an author to be savored and treasured, for he understands the importance of storytelling and how it enriches our lives in ways that nothing else can.

Read this novel. You will benefit from it immensely.

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LibraryThing member T42

I picked this out from a book exchange in French Polynesia and read it during my vacation. It is massive, but doesn't seem so once you start reading. It's one of those novels that is so vivid, you might dream about the characters. You'll won't want to put this book down for long, so it's best to

read when you have a good chunk of time to devote to it.

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LibraryThing member arrwa

The only thing that keeps me from giving this book four stars was how sad and unrelenting it was. I turned the pages hoping for relief but found none, however, it was well written and did certainly keep me turning the pages.

LibraryThing member jsullins

I love this story, I am in love these characters. I drool over psychology and the mystery of schizophrenia. This book provides an imperative insight on how it feels to be closely connected to the mentally ill. Everything falls into place just a bit too neatly..that which I love and hate at the same

time. Don't judge a book by its Oprah's Book Club sticker.

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LibraryThing member celestialfingerpaint

This is an excellent look at what family members go through when someone they love has a mental illness. Dominic's twin brother touches every aspect of his life. Dominic has to learn to deal with his own failures and accomplishments, keep an eye on his brother, and not lose his own mind in the

process. He doesn't always do or say the right things, or have the best attitude about life, but he does the best he knows how. It's a long book, but very much worth reading.

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LibraryThing member kellibee

Twins are such an interesting subject, but this book is just a good story about family relationships.

LibraryThing member llm822

This book is soooooo good. Great story, great characters... Just thinking about it makes me want to track down my copy and insist that it be returned to me so that I can read it again.

LibraryThing member allene68

This was a long one and took me a long time to read but I liked it all the same. Wally Lamb has a nack for creating VERY flawed characters. They almost come to life and you want to shake them and tell them that they need to straighten up! I work with the mentally ill and this book does a pretty

good job of showing the heartache and turmoil that a family goes through when someone dear is living with mental illness. The hope that the new meds will work and they will become "normal" again and the sorrow when they relapse.

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LibraryThing member lmartin

This is a terrible work. The story about a self-centred jerk is without any socially redeeming value. I have been deeply suspicious of any book labeled as 'Oprah's Book Club' ever since.

LibraryThing member purpleonion66

one of the best books I've ever read. This possibly could be because I am an Italian-American. This book seemed to encompass everything, and there were no loose ends. I also love the journal "story within a story."

LibraryThing member tkanz79

I read this first when I was in high school. It was a huge undertaking because of its size (almost 1000 pages). It is still, to date, the best book I have EVER read!!!

LibraryThing member Stefanie2505

Wally Lamb is the best writer ever!
She's come undone is a little better but this is still one of the top 10 novels I ever read (and I read ALOT)

LibraryThing member seka760

For a very large book, I couldn't put it down. It took me a long time to read this book though because I was in college at the time. Reading about Thomas's condition, his relationship with his brother (who narrates), and all that he goes through on a daily basis opened my eyes to a new topic. One

of the male authors I often recommend.

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LibraryThing member brose72

Story of relationships and loss and the psychological impact of those interactions. well written.

LibraryThing member Clurb

This is a large, wordy but very comprehensive and involved book telling the story of Dominick, an identical twin, struggling to cope with his brother's schizophrenia. There are some wonderful and original characters here, who grow and unravel as the story progresses and we learn more of their

shared history. Dominick, in particular, is a protagonist and narrator who is just as easy to hate as to love. The feeling of resolution at the end of the novel, together with the circular nature of the twins' family history were particular highlights that go towards making this such a marvellous read.

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LibraryThing member carmarie

For me this book started off slowly paced. But then it grabs you, and you can't let go! A great book!...It ended up as one of my favorites! I never thought the story of two brothers, one mentally incapacitated, would interest me so much. but it did. And I'm glad.

LibraryThing member davelanigan

What an emotional rollercoaster. A truely wonderful story written in a way that draws the audience in.

LibraryThing member rayski

Identical twin brothers, one is legally mentally ill, the other is worse. 897 pages of learning the second brother’s reasons for depression. Wrong book at the wrong time for me.

LibraryThing member nagtzaam

Loooong book. Read it on a flight to Korea. If you enjoy Wally Lamb, I suggest reading She's Come Undone first.

LibraryThing member Terosauras

Best book I ever read. My all time favorite. Spend a long time reading it, absorb every single line. Also not for the faint of heart.

LibraryThing member bookwormteri

I am not quite sure how I feel about this book. It was moving, but I really felt that there was so much going on, almost too much, that it was hard to really get into it. Moving though, about Dominick's journey to let go of his anger and become his own person.

LibraryThing member bribre01

One of the best books I've ever read...couldn't put it down.

LibraryThing member bethmal

I love this book. I really got into She's Come Undane and this one did not disapoint!

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