Author: Wally Lamb
One-sentence summary: A man whose twin suffers from paranoid schizophrenia confronts his brother’s current mess as well as their joint and individual past suffering in search of meaning and redemption.
B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8
Our favorite thing about it: We loved how real the story and characters were, the amazing writing and story and the depth of meaning in the book.
Our least favorite thing about it: This book has a lot of foul language and it is quite a long book as well.
Main Topics of Discussion: Twins, Relationships, Parenting, Siblings, Love, Conflicting Emotions, Imagery, Parables, Grief, Mental Illness
Our favorite quote: “That love grows from the rich loam of forgiveness; that mongrels make good dogs; that the evidence of God exists in the roundness of things. This much, at least, I’ve figured out. I know this much is true.”
Notes: We could have talked about this book all night long. And not just because it was a hefty book. It had layers upon layers of story and meaning; metaphor and imagery. We all thought this was a fantastic read. One of the things we kept mentioning over and over again was how real the characters and story seemed to us. So real that we felt we could reach out and “touch” them. The characters were so believable and well rounded. They all had amazingly real voices even at different ages throughout the book.
Throughout the book, the narrator (Dominick) is searching for some meaning to the suffering he has experienced both in his past and currently. His relationships are all broken or sick. We loved how even the language of the narrator changed and softened as he became more aware of himself and his shortcomings. He gravitated toward forgiveness and understanding as well as an acknowledgement of God. The spiritual journey that hovered all around his physical and emotional pain was very well written and interesting to read.
This book was about so many things but front and center were relationships of all kinds. And each of these relationships was written so true to life even with all the ugliness and conflicting emotions they contain. Love, hate, guilt, regret, romance, fear. Experiencing completely opposite emotions at the same time was a repetitive theme in this book. Other interesting and prominent themes were monkeys, rabbits, keys, water.
The history of the narrator was told from the perspective of his grandfather and took place in a world that seemed realistic, yet contained a palpable mystery to it. The author so subtly made that “history” a myth and parable for instruction for the narrator and moved between both worlds absolutely seamlessly.
We all found ourselves identifying with the middle-aged male narrator, which is quite a feat considering that we are not middle aged men. But we felt pulled right along with him in his journey of pain and healing, discovery and understanding.
Memorable Meeting Moments: Our first breakfast for dinner! Stephanie’s birthday celebration, and Dara’s solo of “True” by Spandau Ballet circa 1983. (I Know This Much is True…)
What We Ate: Mimosas, Cinnamon French Toast with Banana Rum Syrup, Bacon (and Prosciutto), Greek Yogurt Parfait with Honey and Fresh Berries
One-sentence summary: A man whose twin suffers from paranoid schizophrenia confronts his brother’s current mess as well as their joint and individual past suffering in search of meaning and redemption.
B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8
Our favorite thing about it: We loved how real the story and characters were, the amazing writing and story and the depth of meaning in the book.
Our least favorite thing about it: This book has a lot of foul language and it is quite a long book as well.
Main Topics of Discussion: Twins, Relationships, Parenting, Siblings, Love, Conflicting Emotions, Imagery, Parables, Grief, Mental Illness
Our favorite quote: “That love grows from the rich loam of forgiveness; that mongrels make good dogs; that the evidence of God exists in the roundness of things. This much, at least, I’ve figured out. I know this much is true.”
Notes: We could have talked about this book all night long. And not just because it was a hefty book. It had layers upon layers of story and meaning; metaphor and imagery. We all thought this was a fantastic read. One of the things we kept mentioning over and over again was how real the characters and story seemed to us. So real that we felt we could reach out and “touch” them. The characters were so believable and well rounded. They all had amazingly real voices even at different ages throughout the book.
Throughout the book, the narrator (Dominick) is searching for some meaning to the suffering he has experienced both in his past and currently. His relationships are all broken or sick. We loved how even the language of the narrator changed and softened as he became more aware of himself and his shortcomings. He gravitated toward forgiveness and understanding as well as an acknowledgement of God. The spiritual journey that hovered all around his physical and emotional pain was very well written and interesting to read.
This book was about so many things but front and center were relationships of all kinds. And each of these relationships was written so true to life even with all the ugliness and conflicting emotions they contain. Love, hate, guilt, regret, romance, fear. Experiencing completely opposite emotions at the same time was a repetitive theme in this book. Other interesting and prominent themes were monkeys, rabbits, keys, water.
The history of the narrator was told from the perspective of his grandfather and took place in a world that seemed realistic, yet contained a palpable mystery to it. The author so subtly made that “history” a myth and parable for instruction for the narrator and moved between both worlds absolutely seamlessly.
We all found ourselves identifying with the middle-aged male narrator, which is quite a feat considering that we are not middle aged men. But we felt pulled right along with him in his journey of pain and healing, discovery and understanding.
Memorable Meeting Moments: Our first breakfast for dinner! Stephanie’s birthday celebration, and Dara’s solo of “True” by Spandau Ballet circa 1983. (I Know This Much is True…)
What We Ate: Mimosas, Cinnamon French Toast with Banana Rum Syrup, Bacon (and Prosciutto), Greek Yogurt Parfait with Honey and Fresh Berries
1 comment:
Great summary and love the pictures! You captured so much... loved it all. Fabulous job, Rachel! Thanks so much!
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