I Know This Much is True

I Know This Much is True

Author: Wally Lamb

Source: Sister in law Jackie

Days to Read: 13

Wine Pairing: Partager Merlot

While hunting for a sombrero chip and dip platter at the local Goodwill, I stumbled upon this book for $3.00! I was with my sister in law, Jackie, who recommended it and at that price why wouldn’t I buy it?

The book is about twin brothers, Dominick and Thomas Birdsey. Thomas is diagnosed with schizophrenia and after committing a gruesome act against himself in a public library, is placed in a mental hospital. Dominick tries to fight to get his brother out of the high security hospital and put back into his regular centre but faces a lot of resistance. He begins to meet with the therapist who is treating his brother and starts his own journey of self-discovery, reliving and exploring the past.

Growing up Thomas was abused by their stepfather and was the shy, sensitive twin who had a special relationship with the twin’s mother. Through Dominick’s sessions with the therapist, he examines his relationship with his brother, his mother, his stepfather and his ever-pressing need to know the identity of his biological father.

For all of the intense and heavy material in this book, it thankfully has a relatively happy ending for Dominick. There were several parts in the book that I thought didn’t quite fit. Example - Dominick being given an autobiography of his grandfather by his mother before her death. There are exerts from the autobiography in Dominick’s story and I didn’t think that it quite fit or really added all that much. It felt like knitting a scarf and then deciding to add a new colour but then dropping the yarn so the end product isn’t woven together tightly.

This book is, like I said, somewhat heavy so I would pair it with a medium bodied, comforting red – my recent discovery a French Partager Merlot – very tasty!

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