Reviews for I Know This Much Is True

The average rating for I Know This Much Is True based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-04-10 00:00:00 PETE BAUMANN This is a book I have been meaning to read since 1997. That's actually even before it was officially published, which might seem weird, if you didn't already know that Wally Lamb was teaching writing at my high school at the time he was working on this novel; and if you didn't know that my freshman English class helped "edit" one of the first chapters, back in 1994 or 1995. The novel tells the story of Dominick and Thomas Birdsey, identical twins dealing with very fraternal problems, namely that Thomas is schizophrenic, and Dominick is almost his last remaining caregiver. The novel is about many things, but most of all, as told from Dominick's perspective, it is about forgiveness of the self, of family, of our pasts, both personal and collective. I know a number of the people named in the acknowledgements (including several of my high school teachers), and my high school gets a shout-out as well. I didn't know Lamb very well, but I always found him pretty favorable, one of those teachers you like because they never actually have to give you a grade. I never read this book until now because I also have a connection to one of those named in the dedication: to Sam Deglin, a high school friend who, along with her younger brother Randy, was killed in a freak car accident in front of our high school in January of 1997. I knew she and Randy were named in the dedication, and for this reason, I avoided the book. I didn't want to know how their deaths connected wtih the story, and I didn't want to be reminded at all of my hometown in southeastern Connecticut, where I assumed (correctly, it turns out) the book was set. I think enough time passed in order for me to feel OK about this book...and in fact, once I began reading, I couldn't stop. The references to people, places, and events of my hometown were only part of the allure: this book is beautifully written, and the structure of the novel - which jumps back and forth between the 1920s, 1940s, 1960s, and 1980s with refreshingly little unnecessary exposition - contributes to the sense that, like the mind of Thomas Birdsey (who I guess you could call the "antagonist"), things are never what they seem, and that sometimes the answers to our biggest fears and questions were right in front of us, all along. I would recommend this book highly, but it certainly helps to know a thing or two about growing up in Norwich, Connecticut too!

Review # 2 was written on 2017-02-23 00:00:00 Scott Caird I'm glad I finally finished because it was one of those books I kept thinking about when I was in the middle of it and I had trouble getting things done until I knew what would happen. I really enjoyed it, I think it's hard to write a book with such a complex story line which all ends up coming together neatly in the end. Like some how even the mysticism and twists weren't over done and felt like they flowed nicely. I think this is one of my favorites now honestly.