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Domenick Birdsey is the identical twin brother of paranoid schizpohrenic Thomas Birdsey.
As the story opens, Thomas horrifies library patrons by cleanly and deliberately slicing off
his right hand. At the hospital, he refuses to have his hand reattached, forcing Domenick
into the painful decision of whether to override Thomas’s desire. Still reeling from a
painful divorce and the death of his mother, Domeick is stunned when police chain his
brother and forcibly escort him into the locked chambers of Hatch Forensic Institute of
Three Rivers State Hospital, a place of which Thomas is terrified.
This powerful story deals with the injustices and sufferering endured by twin brothers whose lives are inextricably bound to each other. The narrative reads as if the main character is talking, just pouring out his anguish, in hopes that, if someone would listen, all would be better. Domenick’s fear and cynicism emanate from the book’s pages. As the pace of the narrative quickens, the fear and helplessness experienced by Domenick and Thomas seem to grow. There is also the sense of Domenick’s rage as his mother lays dying, his twin brother continues to be his lifetime reponsibility and source of embarassment, and two important women in his life leave his expectation of a perfect married life unfulfilled. Lamb’s writing is terrific. The character of Thomas’ psychiatrist Dr. Patel, who very professionally and warmly interviews Domenick, is especially well drawn. She so touchingly reaches into the soul of Domenick way past his macho bravado to unlock a very tender part of the male psyche. The lesson the book teaches is that people aren’t perfect, but that with understanding comes forgiveness and personal growth. |