Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
Three Rivers is a fictional Connecticut town, although there is a real-life Three Rivers Community College. Notable attractions in Three Rivers include the Hatch Institute, a state mental hospital;...
Genre
Like Odysseus, Cal Stephanides, or Oscar Wao, Dominick Birdsey is a man on a mission. Unlike most people in Connecticut, whose main mission is fighting their way to the yogurt aisle in the back of...
What's Up With the Title?
The title of the book is also its very last line. In case you forgot, it's "I know this much is true" (48.47). But what? What does Dominick know is true? That what goes up must come down? That e=mc...
What's Up With the Ending?
It seems like the whole point of the book is to find a way to take care of Thomas. After all, that's been the whole point of Dominick's life. He even promised his dying mother he'd take care of his...
Tough-o-Meter
We know this much is true: I Know This Much is True is a fairly easy read. However, it's an intimidating hike. The book clocks in at around nine hundred pages and encompasses three different timeli...