I Know This Much Is True
Encyclopedia
I Know This Much Is True is a novel
by Wally Lamb
, published in 1998. It was featured in Oprah's Book Club
in June 1998.
. Dominick Birdsey's identical twin, Thomas, suffers from paranoid schizophrenia
. With medication, he can function properly and work at a coffee stand, but occasionally he has severe episodes of his illness. Thinking he is making a sacrificial protest that will stop the war in the Middle East, Thomas cuts off his own hand in a public library. Dominick sees him through the ensuing decision not to attempt to reattach the hand, and makes efforts on his behalf to free him from what he knows to be an inadequate and depressing hospital for the dangerous mentally ill.
In the process, Dominick reviews his own difficult life as Thomas's normal brother, his marriage to his gorgeous ex-wife, which ended after their only child died of SIDS
, and his ongoing hostility toward his stepfather. Dominick also displays classic symptoms of PTSD, as a result of stressors in his adult life. First in Thomas's interests, and then for his own sake, he sees a therapist, Dr. Rubina Patel, an Indian psychologist, employed by the hospital. She helps Dominick come to understand Thomas's illness better and the family's accommodations or reactions to it.
In the course of Thomas's treatment, Dominick is covertly informed of sexual abuse taking place in the hospital, and helps to expose the perpetrators. He succeeds in getting Thomas released, but Thomas soon dies, apparently by suicide. After Thomas's death, Dominick discovers the identity of their birth father, who was part African American
and part Native American
--a secret their mother had shared with Thomas, but not with him.
In the midst of this, Dominick is also reading the autobiography of his grandfather, Italian/Sicilian-born Domenico Tempesta, which discloses details about the legacy of twins in their family. Dominick learns about himself and his mother through learning about his grandfather.
He also learns that his live-in girlfriend, Joy, has been seeing a man on the side, who is her bisexual half-uncle, as well as letting him watch her and Dominick during sex. She is also HIV
-positive, having contracted it from her secret lover. She asks Dominick to raise her baby if she dies. At first he resists, but later, after having found his way back into a relationship with his ex-wife, Dessa, they decide to remarry each other and adopt Joy's daughter. The book ends with Dominick able to cope with the considerable loss, failure, and sadness in his personal and family history.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Wally Lamb
Wally Lamb
Wally Lamb is an American author known as the writer of the novels She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True, both of which were selected for Oprah's Book Club.Lamb was born in Norwich, Connecticut...
, published in 1998. It was featured in Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new novel for viewers to read and discuss each month. The Club ended its 15-year run, along with...
in June 1998.
Plot summary
The novel takes place in Three Rivers, ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. Dominick Birdsey's identical twin, Thomas, suffers from paranoid schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
. With medication, he can function properly and work at a coffee stand, but occasionally he has severe episodes of his illness. Thinking he is making a sacrificial protest that will stop the war in the Middle East, Thomas cuts off his own hand in a public library. Dominick sees him through the ensuing decision not to attempt to reattach the hand, and makes efforts on his behalf to free him from what he knows to be an inadequate and depressing hospital for the dangerous mentally ill.
In the process, Dominick reviews his own difficult life as Thomas's normal brother, his marriage to his gorgeous ex-wife, which ended after their only child died of SIDS
Sudden infant death syndrome
Sudden infant death syndrome is marked by the sudden death of an infant that is unexpected by medical history, and remains unexplained after a thorough forensic autopsy and a detailed death scene investigation. An infant is at the highest risk for SIDS during sleep, which is why it is sometimes...
, and his ongoing hostility toward his stepfather. Dominick also displays classic symptoms of PTSD, as a result of stressors in his adult life. First in Thomas's interests, and then for his own sake, he sees a therapist, Dr. Rubina Patel, an Indian psychologist, employed by the hospital. She helps Dominick come to understand Thomas's illness better and the family's accommodations or reactions to it.
In the course of Thomas's treatment, Dominick is covertly informed of sexual abuse taking place in the hospital, and helps to expose the perpetrators. He succeeds in getting Thomas released, but Thomas soon dies, apparently by suicide. After Thomas's death, Dominick discovers the identity of their birth father, who was part African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and part Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
--a secret their mother had shared with Thomas, but not with him.
In the midst of this, Dominick is also reading the autobiography of his grandfather, Italian/Sicilian-born Domenico Tempesta, which discloses details about the legacy of twins in their family. Dominick learns about himself and his mother through learning about his grandfather.
He also learns that his live-in girlfriend, Joy, has been seeing a man on the side, who is her bisexual half-uncle, as well as letting him watch her and Dominick during sex. She is also HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
-positive, having contracted it from her secret lover. She asks Dominick to raise her baby if she dies. At first he resists, but later, after having found his way back into a relationship with his ex-wife, Dessa, they decide to remarry each other and adopt Joy's daughter. The book ends with Dominick able to cope with the considerable loss, failure, and sadness in his personal and family history.
Characters in "I Know This Much Is True"
- Dominick Birdsey: protagonist.
- Thomas Birdsey: Dominick's identical twin, a paranoid schizophrenic.
- Dr. Patel: Thomas's psychiatrist at Hatch, Dominick's therapist.
- Lisa Sheffer: Thomas's social worker, Dominick's friend.
- Dessa Constantine: Dominick's ex-wife, whom he remarries.
- Angela Birdsey: Dominick's and Dessa's baby daughter, dies of SIDS.
- Concettina Tempesta Birdsey: Thomas's and Dominick's mother, daughter of Domenico and Ignazia Tempesta.
- Ray Birdsey: Thomas's and Dominick's stepfather.
- Leo and Angie (Athena Constantine) Blood: Dominick's best friend, Dessa's younger sister.
- Joy: Dominick's live-in girlfriend.
- Tyffanie Rose: Joy's and Thad's biological daughter, and Dominick and Dessa's adopted daughter.
- Thad: Joy's bisexual half-uncle and secret lover, Tyffanie Rose's father and great half-uncle.
- Ralph Drinkwater: Penny Ann Drinkwater's twin and later found to be Thomas and Dominick's cousin.
- Penny Ann Drinkwater: Ralph Drinkwater's twin, murdered as a small girl.
- Domenico Tempesta: Thomas's and Dominick's grandfather from Sicily.
- Ignazia Tucci Tempesta (Violetta d'Annunzio): Dominick's beautiful grandmother from Pescara.
- Prosperine Tucci ("The Monkey"): Ignazia's best friend and lover, loathed by Domenico Tempesta.
- Pasquale Tempesta: Domenico Tempesta's younger brother.
- Vincenzo Tempesta: youngest brother of Domenico Tempesta.