Forty-year old narrator Dominick Birdsey, former high-school history teacher and now house-painter, tells the story that led to his identical twin Thomas’s paranoia, and the resulting chaos that caused for both of them. As the “uncrazy” twin, Dominick feels a lifelong responsibility for his paranoid schizophrenic sibling, evoking the dilemma of a twin whose love for his afflicted brother simmers in a volatile mixture of resentment, guilt and bitterness.

Juxtaposed with Dominick’s present day life of his change of profession, his frustrating relationship with his partner, Joy, his everlasting love for his ex-wife, Dessa and the tragic reason behind their breakup, the twins’ difficult childhood is illustrated through flashbacks. The boys never knew their father, and Thomas was abused by their bullying stepfather, Ray, who also terrorized the twins’ mother. There is also the further-back story, of the twins’ grandfather, which too, has dramatic consequences on their lives.

All this history unravels against Dominick’s present-day, pressing desire to remove Thomas from a mental institution he is convinced is not the right place for his brother. But at this very institution, Dominick winds up having his own psychiatric counselling, finally forcing him to acknowledge his self-destructive behavior and come to terms with his past and present existence.

In mixing the past and the present, the author excellently portrays Dominick’s helplessness against the abuse of power, evoking a flawed, but basically decent, man. In a candid exploration of mental illness, dysfunctional families, domestic and child abuse, I found this a masterful, multi-layered story. The lyrical style, realistic dialogue, excellent imagery and well-drawn characters bring the story to life, and I would highly recommend it for all lovers of literary fiction.

Jei istorija gera, manęs knygos storis negąsdina, kaip tik, džiaugiuosi, kad galiu skaityti ją ilgiau. Džiaugiausi ir šia, beveik 900 puslapių, knyga... maždaug iki 600 puslapio.

Rašymo stilius nesukėlė sunkumų greitai skaityti, tačiau emocijos priversdavo kartas nuo karto susigraudinus sustoti, nubraukti ašarą. Oh, galvojau, kokia knyga! KOKIA KNYGA! Joje tiek visko daug apie ką būtų galima diskutuoti. Aprašomi įvairūs įvykiai, paliečiama smurto tema, įvairios ligos, religija. Mane labiausiai domino psichologinė knygos pusė, šiek tiek kitaip žvelgiau į dvynių reikalus, nes mano mama yra iš dvynių, tad pati nežinau ko, bet kažko artimo ieškojau.

Nors knygos pasakojimas vientisas, tačiau praeities linija, tarsi atskira knyga, kurią skaityti buvo labai atgrasu. Tas praeities, dabarties narpliojimas užsitęsė per ilgai. Per daug nelaimių, per daug skausmo skirta vienam žmogui ir tas jau nebejaudino. Norėjosi greičiau užbaigti, užversti ir padėti. Labai jau priminė vieną knygą, abi tarsi varžosi, kurioje skausmo bus daugiau.

Labai emocinga knyga, be abejonės, virtuoziškai parašyta. Tačiau po jos gali ir pačiam prireikti psichoterapijos, kaip ir veikėjui. Gal neskaitykit, jei nenorit būti emociškai išsunkti. Bet skaityti verta, nes rašytojas parašė įspūdingą istoriją.

I read this a long time ago, but I remember loving it. How does a "normal" twin live with a schizophrenic twin brother over his lifetime? The struggles, the fear, the sadness, the love... it is a jumble of complication.