Editorial Review
On the afternoon of October 12, 1990, my twin brother, Thomas, entered the Three Rivers, Connecticut, public library, retreated to one of the rear study carrels, and prayed to God the sacrifice he was about to commit would be deemed acceptable. . . .
One of the most acclaimed novels of our time, Wally Lamb's I Know This Much Is True is a story of alienation and connection, devastation and renewal, at once joyous, heartbreaking, poignant, mystical, and powerfully, profoundly human.
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Customer Reviews
Great Book 
2008-10-01
Great book, I loved it start to finish. I am a nurse and thing this book really gives a great view into psych problems for those not exposed to it, and a view of what people with different disabilities have to deal with.
Long, so boring, slow read, just sooo DULL 
2008-09-22
I have to tell you, I got to half way through this novel and came downstairs to re-read the reviews. They gave me hope that the book was worth it.
OHMYGOSH it's SO SLOW and so drawn out. I've read a lot of books and this is by far one of the most overrated. It's so slow and boring. The first half could have taken place over four pages.
I hate reading a review written by someone who never finished the book, but ohmygosh this is dull and just horrid. If you read two chapters and have little more than a failing interest in the book, drop it. Dump it. Go read Pillars of The Earth..a long, drawn out book that is totally worth every page.
All Time Favorite 2008-09-17
The first time I read this book I was totally absorbed in the characters and the prose. The second time I read this book I fell in love all over again. And yes, I have even read it a third time. I am an avid reader, never without a book, and read anywhere from 3 to 5 books a month. But this book, this amazing, wonderful book, will always be my favorite. What I just can't believe is Wally Lamb has a new book coming out in November. Thank you, thank you, thank you...I just can't wait!
I miss reading this book :( 2008-09-11
I walked around my house with my nose in this book for practically a week. It's SO LONG - and that's a good thing. When I finally turned that last page, I felt empty. What do I do with all this free time now???
The story itself is a combination of flashbacks, a bit of mythology, and it's just so... human. Dominick Birdsey did get a little tiresome at times with his brashness, but I can't imagine any other narrator. And with intermittent "chapters" of his grandfather's history, there was never a moment where I felt tired or bored of the book at all. Overall, a beautiful, wonderful book I'll be reading again and again.
It will stay with you 2008-09-11
I almost didn't finish this book. I hated Dominick, the main character. He was self-centered, cruel, angry...I really could not understand how he had any friends, much less a live-in girlfriend and an ex-wife who still cared about him. It seemed that any woman with a shred of common sense would stay as far away from him as possible.
But the book is about more than Dominick. It is about the importance of family and the role that each member plays. It is about Dominick's struggle for redemption, and in reading about his struggle one realizes that his friends, family members, and the women in his life are all flawed and struggling too. The characters are so real and well defined, the scenes are so well written, that I could see the sterile walls of the institution where his brother was taken. I could see Dr. Patel in her sari as she tried to help Dominick come to terms with the person that he was and the person that he could be.
It is a good story. One that should not be missed.
Bound to be a classic 2008-09-01
On the afternoon of October 12, 1990, my twin brother, Thomas, entered the Three Rivers, Connecticut, public library, retreated to one of the rear study carrels, and prayed to God the sacrifice he was about to commit would be deemed acceptable. . . .
One of the most acclaimed novels of our time, Wally Lamb's I Know This Much Is True is a story of alienation and connection, devastation and renewal, at once joyous, heartbreaking, poignant, mystical, and powerfully, profoundly human.
Long and good 2008-08-30
It was a very long read, however it was worth it. A good book two thumbs up
900 pages never went so quick 2008-08-20
I read this book in four days just simply could not bear to drop it out of my hands.
I was recommended this book by a group of fellow English teachers many of which proclaimed it to be the best book they have ever read. While I am hesitant to herald it to that superstar status, there is no denying that this is an exquisite novel.
To sum it up without ruining it, the novel is based on the lives of 2 identical twins one who is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. Through this intricate story we are taken through their past and present that reveals how twins who are identical are also divided. One brother is struggling to make sense of his life through his disease and the other is desperately trying to save his twin and unburden the guilt he feels for being the "normal" one.
What I love about this book is how human these characters are. Although the twins are the center of the novel, we are captivated and repelled by the array of characters such as the hair lipped soft spoken mother, the overbearing and violent stepfather Ray, the affectionate sheltered wife Dessa, Ralphie Drinkwater the abused classmate and the twins grandfather who speaks beyond the grave in his autobiography. Lamb makes us feel a complicated twist of compassion and disgust for almost every one of these characters. None is a pure saint or a pure sinner.
I could have loved this book even more if the ending didn't seem like such a clique. I think it is evident that Lamb himself was just too much in love with his own characters to make them suffer any more at the end, and he tries to wrap everything up in a neat little bow rather than let it end more naturally. Other than that flaw the novel really is heartbreakingly beautiful, extremely well researched (on both the nature of twins and mental illness) and memorable.
Its 2am... 2008-07-28
i just stayed up way past my bedtime on a school night to finish this book (i'm 31 by the way). it is a long book, but that's good because i didn't really want it to end anyway. this book makes you feel. it seemed like i was really in the middle of these people's lives, great storytelling. this is a 900-page page-turner. almost every page is dog eared bc i would sneak a read anytime i could, even if i could just fit a page or two in.
It was long, but actually it should have been longer!! 
2008-07-27
Well the book came in at just over 850 pages, but to really "finish" the story, Wally could have "fleshed" out the last decade in the book a little more fully. It seems that when his deadline approached, Wally, said, heck its already over 850 pages, print it!! Great book otherwise, it offers, great insights into how early childhood experiences really affect our lives in fundamental ways. Good Job Wally.
