I Know This Much Is True: A Powerful Story of Brothers, Mental Illness, and the Search for Forgiveness (P.S.)

This book was quite simply wonderful. As I read this on my kindle, I had no idea in advance how long it was. But, don't let that hold you back from reading it. I couldn't put the book down until I finished it. I enjoyed every minute of it. This book is the intertwining of several generation's stories that help Dominick, the main character who has a twin, resolve his anger and issues with his past, present and future. He's a man who feels he has been wronged by his family, his father, his life, God, his lover and his mother. This story is about death and loss and more than renewal, regeneration of spirit through righteous repentance. And one more important element that I really want to talk about is that Dominick has a twin brother, Thomas, who is a paranoid schizophrenic. And Dominick believes that Thomas had always been his burden he had to carry around with him his entire life and run interference for. And while he does this, as he promised his mother, he hated Thomas all that time. This story line is what immediately drew me into this book, more than I can relay to you. Also, it shook me. Because, I have a paranoid schizophrenic brother and I have no idea how the author captured exactly what I have always felt my entire life. I was overlooked so that "special" and "extra" attention could be given to my brother. His needs came ahead of mine from the time he was diagnosed, until, now, I guess. I spent years passionately hating him, ignoring him and resenting him, while, of course, he suffered from a terrible and tragic disease, while I began and had my own life. The family dynamic that is immediately put into place to hide that kind of secret--mental illness--is impossible to describe to anyone but somebody else who has this kind of experience. I didn't lose either of my parents during my brother's illness like Dominick does in this book, but I resented my family for the embarrassment of having to have a crazy brother. So, I understand Dominick. And believe me when I tell you that there is a very honest feel to that part of the book. But the mental illness theme and his relationship and care of his brother, while he was all the while resenting Thomas, rang so true that it made me cry. But, in addition to this underlying theme, there is the telling of the stories of Dominick's grandfather, who also had a disappointing life of anger and loss. There are several character stories told that interweaves into Dominick's life relationships and all are necessary stories to hear and understand before you can reach the end and final resolution: his anger with an abusive step-father, his loss of his baby daughter, his loss of his wife and his loss and betrayal of his live-in girlfriend, Joy. All told, there are very few relationship themes that is not explored in this novel. By the end of the book, all these threads are resolved. I read one reviewer's complaint that her only criticism would be that everything was wrapped up so perfectly right at the end. Maybe that is a valid claim. The fact that so much was resolved in such a complicated history seemed a little abrupt and artificial at the end. I could even tell that as I was reading that I was coming very close to the end because all at once, things were being wrapped up--things that just couldn't seem to be fixed until then. However, I had been through so much with the main character, Dominick, that there were several points that it didn't seem possible that things could get worse for him, and then it did. His hardships almost exhausted me because I was so concerned for his well-being. So, I was relieved to have the positive outcomes the author wrote for him. Not everything works out for the best at the end, though. Thomas dies--almost under Dominick's personal care. Joy dies. Ray has a leg amputated. So, the elements that resolve through the main character's personal growth, reflection and persistence at making things right felt hard won and deserved to me and I was glad to have it. Really, and since this is, in essence, the story of the "renovation" of the main character due to his letting go of his anger and resentments and fears, the lack of a positive ending would have implied that there is no opportunity for upward, righteous progress in ourselves. And the story is after all called, "I know this much is true". . .isn't it? Otherwise, we would have been reading a story that simply describes how yet another angry man failed miserably to overcome his personal background, losses and traumas. And that is not what this story is about.

This very long story read quickly and was rarely repetitive or boring ( this book was over 800 pages). The best part about this book was how well the characters were drawn. It is difficult to create characters that are so flawed and in many ways unlikable and are still made to seem human and worthy of sympathy or empathy. The author does a great job of accomplishing this. The author also does a good job of helping us to understand the toll that mental illness takes on the person and on his/ her family. This book is almost like reading two books, one about Dominick and one about his grandfather ( in the form of a memoir left after death). The grandfather's story is less satisfying and seems contrived and somewhat out of sync with the main story. I found myself wanting to read more about the main story and hear less about the grandfather. Lastly I was disappointed that a novel that took such pains to portray characters and their lives in a realistic fashion ended the book with an almost fairy tale "happily ever after" type ending. Yes, it was nice to see the main character happy at last, but it didn't ring true. Still I would recommend this book. Rarely does an 800+ page book read so quickly and keep your interest.

I’d give this book at least 6 stars if I could. Maybe more. It’s just that good! It’s now on my short list of absolute favorites. The story is about a pair of identical twins, one of whom (Thomas) descends into paranoid schizophrenia. It’s written from the point of view of Dominick, the “other” twin. In reading other reviews prior to obtaining this book, I noted that several folks remarked on its length which is about 900 pages. That seemed to put some off, but I rationalized that I had a whole summer to devote to it and if it was as good as most reviewers said it was, then I believed its length would be an asset. And, Hallelujah!, I was right. In fact, I was wishing it had been even longer! I didn’t want this reading experience to end. Unlike a lot of books I have read, this one had not even one boring page. Not one! I was riveted to every single paragraph on every page and I could not put it down. The story grabbed me from the very first pages, in which Thomas lops off his right hand while sitting in a public library. In his idealistic delusion, he felt he was making a public statement about America’s “wicked greed” and that his sacrifice would urge us “to follow a more spiritual course if we were to survive”. He believed also that his sacrifice would prevent the U.S. from entering the Gulf War; as soon as the President learned of this selfless act, he’d of course reconsider going to war. Dominick had sworn to their mother on her deathbed that he’d look after Thomas and keep him safe. The entire theme of the book tells of his struggles to keep that promise, and how he felt he’d failed so many times, in spite of his gargantuan efforts. How had Thomas gotten so seriously mentally ill? Was it nature or nurture? Was it because he was a gentle, sensitive child who was terrorized by his abusive stepfather? Was it because their mother never revealed who their real father was? Was it because of the secrets held by Domenico, their maternal grandfather who died before they were born? Or was it because Dominick had learned the art of defense and had often bullied Thomas? [“I was always doing that to him when we were kids: letting him know which of us was smarter, stronger, faster on the draw. Maybe that was why he was acting so wacky these days. Maybe I’d finally made him crack.”] And why hadn’t Dominick succumbed to the same fate … or would he? These are all questions that tormented the adult Dominick and forced him to try harder to protect Thomas. His quest overtook his entire life. But the harder he tried, the worse the results seemed to be ... the faster he ran, the behinder he got. Dominick’s troubles and obsessions eventually lead him to see a psychiatrist, Dr. Patel, who guided him through his past in order to understand his present situation. As a child, Thomas had the lion’s share of their mother’s attention because, as Dr. Patel pointed out. “And was it that aspect of your brother’s nature, that quality perhaps, that made Thomas easier for your mother to love?” Jealousy over his mother’s love for Thomas had consumed Dominick his whole life. And then there’s the issue of Grandfather Domenico’s memoirs, which their mother had given Dominick just before she died. She had never read it, as it was written in Italian, but it was obvious that she adored her father. When Dominick had it translated and started reading it, he realized his grandfather was an arrogant, egotistical tyrant – a thoroughly unlikeable man. But the memoir is fascinating reading – sort of a novel-within-a-novel. So many secrets, such surprising revelations, such fascinating intertwined relationships make for a really great book. I promise you, those 900 pages will fly by faster than you ever imagined. I know this much is true.

Dominick Birdsey’s life has been blighted by Thomas, the schizophrenic twin he both loves and resents. It is hard to know where to begin to say why I enjoyed this so much. It is 900 pages long, yet it held me throughout. Spanning half a century of events, plus family backstory, it starts with a shocking incident and ends, predictably but nevertheless satisfyingly, with various reveals and resolutions. There is much in it apart from Thomas, the twin, but I don’t want to give spoilers. Twenty years ago, I read another fat novel by Lamb – She’s Come Undone – and enjoyed it just as much, but I have no note of what it was about and can’t remember. That’s mainly why I write these brief notes, to jog my memory years later.

Really enjoyed this book. Loved the two stories of Domenic and his grandfather juxtaposed. Looking forward to more from this author.

I bought this book almost by mistake. My teenage daughter asked me to read a short abstract she had to discuss in class for her english comprehension test. The abstract was a vivid description of the terrible conditions of the journey of an italian emigrant to the USA at the beginning of the 20th century. I bought the book without looking much further and I nearly dumped it when I discovered it was 900 pages long and dealing with the story of two twins, one schizofrenic and the other haunted by the fear of following his brother's path. The "healthy" twin starts digging into his past and as he tries to come to grips with his messy life he ends up reading a manuscript left by his grandfather (the italian immigrant to the USA). The story of his ancestor will eventually shed a new light on his present and help him to make sense of his life. I was very surprised at how captivating this book could be when actually there is hardly any action in it. I could not stop reading it, I found it moving and inspiring. I was only annoyed by the many spelling errors in the italian words of the grandfather but there are too many to be an accident, I believe Wally Lamb mispelt the words on purpose as if they had been badly written by the american translator hired by the main character. All in all a very intriguing, moving novel, to be recommended...

It took me about 200 pages, that is, the length of a shorter novel, to get into this book. Around page 200 or so, I started to experience the page turning effect that other reviewers have spoken about. The narrative construction is intelligent but never too complicated, the dialogs are very well captured, and the story draws you in. Towards the end, you feel you have have lived alongside the narrator for a while. You learn about his family history over several generations, about his identical twin's schizophrenia, about how he learns to deal with his anger and being honest with himself. A great read if you have the time for a really long novel, recommended!