I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb
A couple months ago my book club read Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb. A few of the members raved about his other books, although they found them quite different from his Christmas story. Based on this recommendation, I selected I Know This Much is True and dowloaded it to my Kindle without a second thought.
I read on my iPhone during my lunch hour and started this book with great anticipation. The first chapter is quite gruesome but sets the tone for all that is to come. If you can get yourself through the beginning, I'm pretty sure you can get through the rest. I kept reading. And reading. The percent read that my kindle happily tracks for me, barely moved. Day after day I watched my barely existent progress. When I'd had enough I finally checked the statistics of the book. It has a whopping 982 pages! I will be sucking down the battery on my phone for the next ten years reading the story on a 4 1/2 by 3 inch screen. But I persisted.
Thomas and Dominic are twins, one born on December 31st and the other born on January 1st. They are even born in different decades, one in 1959 and the other in 1960. Their mother, Connie is not married but thank goodness her strict Italian father died before he discovered she was pregnant. The boys are never told who their biological father is and both have an very contentious relationship with Ray, their step father, who adopts them as toddlers.
The brothers are angry. The tone of their story is filled with anger because everyone here has issues. Thomas is mentally ill and finds himself living in a variety of mental institutions. Dominic, the supposedly sane twin, is Thomas' self appointed protector. Dominic's life is a train wreck and he blames Thomas for all that is wrong with him.
There is so much going on here, that Mr. Lamb needed those 982 pages. The story blew up slowly until is became a big abscess and it finally burst, letting the infection run freely out. The story ended all tied up in a neat little bow. I couldn't stop reading this book but I wasn't always engaged in this book. I Know This Much is True requires a commitment of time and energy. The treatment of mental illness in this country is spread out for the reader to live and experience. The story is worth reading but beware. It's exhausting.
A couple months ago my book club read Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb. A few of the members raved about his other books, although they found them quite different from his Christmas story. Based on this recommendation, I selected I Know This Much is True and dowloaded it to my Kindle without a second thought.
I read on my iPhone during my lunch hour and started this book with great anticipation. The first chapter is quite gruesome but sets the tone for all that is to come. If you can get yourself through the beginning, I'm pretty sure you can get through the rest. I kept reading. And reading. The percent read that my kindle happily tracks for me, barely moved. Day after day I watched my barely existent progress. When I'd had enough I finally checked the statistics of the book. It has a whopping 982 pages! I will be sucking down the battery on my phone for the next ten years reading the story on a 4 1/2 by 3 inch screen. But I persisted.
Thomas and Dominic are twins, one born on December 31st and the other born on January 1st. They are even born in different decades, one in 1959 and the other in 1960. Their mother, Connie is not married but thank goodness her strict Italian father died before he discovered she was pregnant. The boys are never told who their biological father is and both have an very contentious relationship with Ray, their step father, who adopts them as toddlers.
The brothers are angry. The tone of their story is filled with anger because everyone here has issues. Thomas is mentally ill and finds himself living in a variety of mental institutions. Dominic, the supposedly sane twin, is Thomas' self appointed protector. Dominic's life is a train wreck and he blames Thomas for all that is wrong with him.
There is so much going on here, that Mr. Lamb needed those 982 pages. The story blew up slowly until is became a big abscess and it finally burst, letting the infection run freely out. The story ended all tied up in a neat little bow. I couldn't stop reading this book but I wasn't always engaged in this book. I Know This Much is True requires a commitment of time and energy. The treatment of mental illness in this country is spread out for the reader to live and experience. The story is worth reading but beware. It's exhausting.
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