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yara_alkhateeb's review against another edition
5.0
It's one of those books that leaves you confused on where to begin your review.
It was a long read, but man was it a good one!
Not only did Wally Lamb manage to build complex realistic characters, portray human contradictions and emotions, build separate yet connected storylines while gracefully traveling through time in his chapters; but he managed to tackle topics like mental illness, family bonds, race and others without losing track nor adopting a lecturing voice as some books may do.
It was a bit disturbing in places as one would expect, but it was not without the writer casually introducing bits of hope or balancing the tone with some narrator dark sarcasm along the way
And although I might have a few words about its ending, I am grateful to have come across this book and managed to finish it. It was the cherry on top of this year's reads.
It was a long read, but man was it a good one!
Not only did Wally Lamb manage to build complex realistic characters, portray human contradictions and emotions, build separate yet connected storylines while gracefully traveling through time in his chapters; but he managed to tackle topics like mental illness, family bonds, race and others without losing track nor adopting a lecturing voice as some books may do.
It was a bit disturbing in places as one would expect, but it was not without the writer casually introducing bits of hope or balancing the tone with some narrator dark sarcasm along the way
And although I might have a few words about its ending, I am grateful to have come across this book and managed to finish it. It was the cherry on top of this year's reads.
emilybutynski's review against another edition
3.0
First book read of 2022! I decided to tackle a “big” one, or a “hard” one to start off. Normally I have a hard time getting through Wally Lamb books. They’re dense and I tend to hate the main character. They end with some message about religion or faith and morality.
This book, though, was much better for me. The main character had many faults, and at times I severely disliked him, but he did learn and grow and in the end I didn’t hate him. The message at the end was pretty universal, and it didn’t make me feel like I was being preached to, like I’ve felt before. Also worth noting: my copy of this book has really thin pages, like a bible, and physically reading it was enjoyable for that reason. I wonder if this was intentional, given the book’s subject matter?
In the story, Dominick and Thomas are twins, born in 1949 and 1950. The main events happen in 1990 and 1991, 30 years before my reading, making me wonder how things would differ if it was written/published today. Certainly some phrases are no longer used because they are now considered impolite. Thomas has schizophrenia. The story centers around the events that follow after he cuts his right hand off in a public library as a religious and anti-war statement.
Stop here for spoilers ***
Thomas is essentially sentenced to a forensic mental health hospital, which is more like a prison, after spending nearly 20 years moving in and out of an adjacent, less strict, facility. Dominick fights this decision throughout the book, believing Thomas doesn’t belong in this facility, and to some extent he may be right. Dominick meets with Lisa Sheffer, Thomas’s social worker, and Doctor Patel, his psychologist. Eventually Dominick forms a stronger relationship with Sheffer, and he begins to see Dr. Patel personally, to help resolve some of his past issues.
Dominick and Thomas were raised in a house with their mother and stepfather. Their mother’s father had built the house with his own two hands, and she continues to revere her father until her death, more than a year before Thomas cuts off his hand. Dominick does not know who his biological father was, and he stresses about this throughout his life, because he feels he doesn’t know who he truly is. Their stepfather, Ray, is abusive, both physically and verbally. He yells at them relentlessly, and physically abuses all three of them. Thomas takes the brunt of the abuse, because Dominick learns “defense” tactics, including hiding his antics from his stepfather and standing up to him.
Dominick was married to a woman named Dessa, who he is still in love with. They had a three-week-old daughter who died from SIDS, and less than a year after her death, Dessa leaves him. Now, Dominick has a live-in girlfriend named Joy, who is more than ten years his junior and doesn’t like Thomas. She ends up pregnant, but Dominick had a vasectomy shortly before Dessa left him, so he knows he cannot be the father. Joy reveals her tumultuous past, and leaves Dominick.
Ralph Drinkwater, who is part African, part Native American, and has dark skin, has grown up with Dominick and Thomas. He went to elementary school with them, disappeared for a while, and reappears in high school. The twins work with him on a summer work crew after their first year in college, and then Ralph reappears yet again as a janitor at the facility where Thomas is sentenced. He helps Dominick and Thomas by alerting Dominick of happenings at the facility. He tells Dominick to get Thomas tested for HIV, and he later gives Dominick the ammunition he needs to get Thomas out of the maximum security facility.
When Thomas is released from the hospital, he is put into a group home temporarily before a bed opens in a more secure place. Thomas sneaks out one night and he dies in the river below the Falls. It is up for debate whether he killed himself on purpose. After his death, Dominick has a hard time moving forward. He reads his grandfather’s manifesto. He forgives his stepfather. He learns that his biological father was Ralph Drinkwater’s uncle. Ralph thought he and Thomas knew their entire lives, but only Thomas knew. Dominick forgives his mother for her unequal treatment of him and his brother, because of their different personalities. He also gets back together with Dessa. They remarry, and they adopt Joy’s daughter after she dies.
Ultimately, this book was a complicated story of love despite the circumstances, and I enjoyed it. I don’t think I’ll be picking up another Wally Lamb for a while, though, because I want to remember that I actually enjoyed this one. I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. Even today, a day after finishing it, the book has stayed with me, which hasn’t happed with anything else by Wally Lamb.
This book, though, was much better for me. The main character had many faults, and at times I severely disliked him, but he did learn and grow and in the end I didn’t hate him. The message at the end was pretty universal, and it didn’t make me feel like I was being preached to, like I’ve felt before. Also worth noting: my copy of this book has really thin pages, like a bible, and physically reading it was enjoyable for that reason. I wonder if this was intentional, given the book’s subject matter?
In the story, Dominick and Thomas are twins, born in 1949 and 1950. The main events happen in 1990 and 1991, 30 years before my reading, making me wonder how things would differ if it was written/published today. Certainly some phrases are no longer used because they are now considered impolite. Thomas has schizophrenia. The story centers around the events that follow after he cuts his right hand off in a public library as a religious and anti-war statement.
Stop here for spoilers ***
Thomas is essentially sentenced to a forensic mental health hospital, which is more like a prison, after spending nearly 20 years moving in and out of an adjacent, less strict, facility. Dominick fights this decision throughout the book, believing Thomas doesn’t belong in this facility, and to some extent he may be right. Dominick meets with Lisa Sheffer, Thomas’s social worker, and Doctor Patel, his psychologist. Eventually Dominick forms a stronger relationship with Sheffer, and he begins to see Dr. Patel personally, to help resolve some of his past issues.
Dominick and Thomas were raised in a house with their mother and stepfather. Their mother’s father had built the house with his own two hands, and she continues to revere her father until her death, more than a year before Thomas cuts off his hand. Dominick does not know who his biological father was, and he stresses about this throughout his life, because he feels he doesn’t know who he truly is. Their stepfather, Ray, is abusive, both physically and verbally. He yells at them relentlessly, and physically abuses all three of them. Thomas takes the brunt of the abuse, because Dominick learns “defense” tactics, including hiding his antics from his stepfather and standing up to him.
Dominick was married to a woman named Dessa, who he is still in love with. They had a three-week-old daughter who died from SIDS, and less than a year after her death, Dessa leaves him. Now, Dominick has a live-in girlfriend named Joy, who is more than ten years his junior and doesn’t like Thomas. She ends up pregnant, but Dominick had a vasectomy shortly before Dessa left him, so he knows he cannot be the father. Joy reveals her tumultuous past, and leaves Dominick.
Ralph Drinkwater, who is part African, part Native American, and has dark skin, has grown up with Dominick and Thomas. He went to elementary school with them, disappeared for a while, and reappears in high school. The twins work with him on a summer work crew after their first year in college, and then Ralph reappears yet again as a janitor at the facility where Thomas is sentenced. He helps Dominick and Thomas by alerting Dominick of happenings at the facility. He tells Dominick to get Thomas tested for HIV, and he later gives Dominick the ammunition he needs to get Thomas out of the maximum security facility.
When Thomas is released from the hospital, he is put into a group home temporarily before a bed opens in a more secure place. Thomas sneaks out one night and he dies in the river below the Falls. It is up for debate whether he killed himself on purpose. After his death, Dominick has a hard time moving forward. He reads his grandfather’s manifesto. He forgives his stepfather. He learns that his biological father was Ralph Drinkwater’s uncle. Ralph thought he and Thomas knew their entire lives, but only Thomas knew. Dominick forgives his mother for her unequal treatment of him and his brother, because of their different personalities. He also gets back together with Dessa. They remarry, and they adopt Joy’s daughter after she dies.
Ultimately, this book was a complicated story of love despite the circumstances, and I enjoyed it. I don’t think I’ll be picking up another Wally Lamb for a while, though, because I want to remember that I actually enjoyed this one. I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. Even today, a day after finishing it, the book has stayed with me, which hasn’t happed with anything else by Wally Lamb.
thethirteenclocks's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, I loved this book. It was in turns heartbreaking and beautiful, sad and uplifting. I didn’t want it to end.
mossiefae's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
shamsook's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this book was beautifully written and powerful book. The character development was done so artfully and the themes of abuse, mental health, love, and more were presented in such a thoughtful way. It's incredibly long, but it covers so much and by the end of the book, I felt so connected with the characters that this one has really stayed with me.
stephanieb0922's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
lindahiggins's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
h4bs's review against another edition
4.0
Lamb tied up those loose ends almost too tightly. He got rid of all the loose ends, even counting the big loose cannon. I'm not a fan of that. Nonetheless, it was a joy to ride the rollercoaster even though I took a four-month-long hiatus.
msugar's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best works of literature I have ever read. A must read to anyone who loves fiction dealing with issues of mental health.
ougagaboom's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This is a beautifully written book.
Sad but hopefull in the same time, makes you feel strongly connected to the main character.
Sad but hopefull in the same time, makes you feel strongly connected to the main character.