Author: Wally Lamb

Publisher: Regan Books

Pub. in: April, 1999

ISBN: 0060987561

Pages: 912

Measurements: 8 x 5.3 x 1.6 inches

Origin of product: USA

Order code: BA00277

Other information: Reprint edition
ISBN-13: 978-0060987565

#1 New York Times Bestseller

Thomas and Dominick are identical twins, raised by their timid mother, Connie, and their temperamental step-father, Ray. Their entwined lives are marred by violence and emotional torments throughout childhood. Then, after their first semester at college, Thomas unravels, descending into schizophrenia. This leaves Dominick as the sane twin, standing alone and trying to hold on....

A defensive and arrogant Dominick narrates this story. It's a story of anger, and that energy propels it forward. Dominick is angry at each person in his life, as well as his country, his fate, and God. Any time he sets out to do something productive -- to help his brother or a friend -- his own anger blindsides him. His rage seems to come to life on its own, flaming up suddenly and leaving ashes in its path.

Flashbacks and flash-forwards make up this story of the inseparable, yet divided twins. Then, more than halfway through, there is suddenly another narrative. Through a rather unbelievable plot twist, Dominick receives a translation of his grandfather's memoirs.

He reads through his grandfather's story, hoping to solve the essential mystery of his life: who is his REAL father? The grandfather's words begin in a stilted and almost comic manner. But gradually, we get pulled into a tale of witchcraft, betrayal and violence. His grandfather's arrogance and anger mirror Dominick's. And Dominick begins to understand his own mother's fears, her timidity, as she grew up under her father's unyielding authority.

The grandfather's story steals the thunder in the second half of this book. By the time Dominick does put together the pieces and solve some of his life's mysteries, the reader may have lost interest. There is a denouement which wraps up much of the story but is unconvincing. Still, the amazing energy and intensity of this book will hold you captive for quite some time.

This book is so complex! Author Lamb was granted an NEA prize just to write this book and it is easy to see why. Inspite of its near 900 pages, you will find yourself making dents in it daily because it is such an attention-holder. You will find yourself attracted to the way that in spite of the pain and depression which steep in this tale, everything about it is so creatively expressed; you will manage to walk away feeling uplifted when you have finished this book. This is a masterfully-crafted work, amazingly well-written as author Lamb gives us not just a glimpse, but a fully-articulated portrait of the lives of those affected by a chronic psychiatric order.

Target readers: General readers