I Know This Much is True

In many ways this book has much of what the first book I read from this author contained, the human struggle… this time from a man’s perspective.  In I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb, the lead character, Dominick Birdsey, is faced with the struggles of upbringing in so many ways!  This is one of the books that throws “everything and the kitchen sink” into it, much like his She’s Come Undone.  Dominick is a twin, raised by his mother and a physically abusive step-father.  Dominick’s twin brother, Thomas, is schizophrenic and, we learn later, gay, yet never really out of the closet.  The story tells the life story of Dominick and his loves, Dessa (his true love) who he marries, divorces, and in the end is reunited, and his second lover, Joy.  Joy is a hot mess… she allows her other lover to watch as she and Dominick have sex (unbeknownst to Dominick) and later announces to Dominick she is pregnant with his baby.  We learn she couldn't have gotten pregnant by Dominick as he had a vasectomy a few years earlier after his wife and he lost their baby to SIDS.  Dominick’s growth and acceptance of his life happens through working with his brother’s counselor, Dr. Patel, who is the hospital psychiatrist for Thomas.  Thomas was institutionalized for trying to harm himself, cutting off his hand, and was diagnosed with being schizophrenic during his college years.  Lamb does tell a compelling story, one which one really feels for the protagonist, whom just doesn’t seem to get a fair deal.  Dominick is harsh and yearns for the love and affection that his twin received from their mother, but he never did.  As the story progresses with the death of his mother, his child, Thomas, and finally the crippling of his step-father, combined with his new learned knowledge of his own heritage, Dominick takes steps to heal and start to live, incorporating his brother’s attributes into his own life.  They say twins are always connected, alive or dead.  This book certainly supports that theory.  While much of the drama is hard to imagine in anyone’s life, I was drawn in as the story unfolded and understood the pain of Dominick.  His relationship with Dr. Patel and the process of healing was real and worked for me.  The closing pages and the choices to make connections to his former wife and taking in Joy’s baby after she succumbs to HIV are truly moving.  A long read, complicated but heartwarming as well.  A strong read should you want to shed a tear… otherwise, just head for the action dramas.