Unmarried at the time, she gave birth just a few months after the death of her autocratic father, Domenico Tempesta, Dominick’s namesake. Flashbacks reveal that Thomas and Dominick’s mother was Connie Tempesta. Rubina Patel commiserates with the twins and proves to be an ally to Dominick.ĭominick’s difficult upbringing, unresolved grief over the loss of his wife and child, and continued problems with his irresponsible girlfriend, Joy Hanks, serve to further complicate his life.

A British-educated psychologist from India, Dr. His brother’s new social worker offers a helping hand in this matter. After hearing of his brother’s hospitalization, he seeks to have him transferred from the maximum security building to a less intense environment. After the death of his baby daughter and the subsequent failure of his marriage, he now paints houses for a living. Dominick is the younger of the twins and a former high school teacher. After committing the act, he is sent to a state hospital and committed for observation. When questioned about his actions later, he says that he believes God requires a sacrifice in order to spare the lives of others and prevent further bloodshed. On October 12, 1990, Thomas seeks to make a statement against the Gulf War that threatens to break out between the United States and Iraq by cutting off his own hand in the public library as a form of protest. Occasionally, though, he has severe episodes that incapacitate him. His medication helps to keep the psychotic episodes at bay, and for the most part Thomas is able to function normally, holding down a job at a coffee stand.

Thomas suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. I Know This Much Is True is a 1998 novel by Wally Lamb set in Three Rivers, Connecticut, and follows the lives of twins Dominick and Thomas Birdsey.

I know this much is true lamb