I Know This Much Is TrueI Know This Much Is True
Score Modern
What it's about
Dominick Birdsey has spent his life looking after his identical twin, Thomas, who has paranoid schizophrenia. In 1990, Thomas walks into a public library and commits a shocking act of self-harm, believing it's a sacrifice for peace. As Dominick fights to get his brother out of a maximum-security hospital, he also has to face his own anger, his failed marriage, the mysteries of his family's past, and the manuscript left by his Sicilian grandfather.
Why it's worth reading
It was a #1 New York Times bestseller and an Oprah's Book Club pick, and became an HBO series with Mark Ruffalo. It's a big, emotional family saga.
You'll love it if you liked
A Prayer for Owen Meany
The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression
MiddlesexGood to know
It's around 900 pages and deals with mental illness, self-harm and abuse. Dominick is often hard to like.
By the numbers
- Readers82 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller59 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #285 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #569 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking
More by Wally Lamb
If you like this, read next
The Lord of the Rings
A Brief History of Time
Cosmos
Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness
The Right Stuff
Train DreamsExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is I Know This Much Is True worth reading?
Yes. It was a #1 New York Times bestseller and an Oprah's Book Club pick, and became an HBO series with Mark Ruffalo. It ranks #569 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 77.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is I Know This Much Is True about?
Dominick Birdsey has spent his life looking after his identical twin, Thomas, who has paranoid schizophrenia. In 1990, Thomas walks into a public library and commits a shocking act of self-harm, believing it's a sacrifice for peace. As Dominick fights to get his brother out of a maximum-security hospital, he also has to face his own anger, his failed marriage, the mysteries of his family's past, and the manuscript left by his Sicilian grandfather.
How long does it take to read I Know This Much Is True?
About 23 hours (916 pages), or about 7 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after I Know This Much Is True?
If you liked it, try A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon or Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.