This novel begins with a paranoid schizophrenic man's sacrificial amputation on behalf of God and peace. This well-crafted, character-driven novel maintains that edgy discomfort throughout. This isn't escapist fiction; it's better, drawing you into a convoluted web of twins, fatherhood, love and mental instability, it demanding emotional involvement.
The story revolves around Dominick Birdsey, the sane twin responsible for his schizophrenic mirror image, Tomas. The author, Wally Lamb, creates Dominick with such complexity and so much baggage that he's not entirely easy to like. …