The television adaptation of Wally Lamb’s bestselling novel “I Know This Much Is True” premieres on HBO on May 10. Photo: google
Wally Lamb is an American author of several novels including “I’ll Take You There,” “She’s Come Undone” and “I Know This Much Is True;” the last two were both selected for Oprah’s Book Club. He was the director of the Writing Center at Norwich Free Academy in Norwich and has taught Creative Writing in the English Department at the University of Connecticut. “I Know This Much Is True” is the bestselling novel about identical brothers Dominick Birdsey and Thomas Birdsey, who suffers from schizophrenia. Dominick struggles to take care of his twin brother while discovering the truth about his own family. It has been adapted into a limited television series that will air on HBO and premieres on Sunday May 10. Mark Ruffalo stars in the double role of Dominick and Thomas.
According to Amazon, in “I Know This Much Is True,” Dominick Birdsey, is a forty-year-old housepainter living in Three Rivers, Connecticut. He finds his subdued life suddenly disturbed when his identical twin brother Thomas, a paranoid schizophrenic, commits a shocking act of self-mutilation. Dominick is forced to care for his brother as well as confront dark secrets and pain he has buried deep within himself—a journey of the soul that takes him beyond his blue-collar New England town to Sicily’s Mount Etna, the birthplace of his grandfather and namesake. Coming to terms with his life and lineage, Dominick struggles to find forgiveness and finally rebuild himself beyond the haunted shadow of his troubled twin.
‘No Truth Left to Tell’ is the exciting debut novel by attorney Michael McAuliffe. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Michael McAuliffe has practiced law for over 30 years, including as a federal prosecutor, a trial attorney for the civil rights division of the Department of Justice and an elected state attorney in Florida. In his debut novel, “No Truth Left to Tell,” federal civil rights prosecutor Adrien Rush travels to small town Lynwood Louisiana to investigate an incident of four flaming crosses by the Ku Klux Klan meant to terrorize the southern town and start a new race war. He joins forces with Lee Mercer, a seasoned local FBI special agent and their partnership is tested as they clash over how far to go to catch the racists before the violence escalates.
“No Truth Left to Tell” begins with a Prologue set in Lynwood, Louisiana in July 1920 where a young black girl, Nettie Wynn, witnesses the horror of a lynching. In present day Lynwood, 1994, the quiet little town is about to be shattered by the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan. They want to start a new race war and proceed to carry out a series of cross burnings at the local NAACP office, the courthouse, a home in the black neighborhood of Mooretown, a synagogue and an Islamic center. An elderly Nettie Wynn is the unfortunate victim in Mooretown and as a lifelong resident, these hate crimes bring back dreadful memories of her youth and unfortunately she suffers a heart attack. Her granddaughter Nicole DuBose, a successful journalist in New York City, returns to Lynwood to take care of her grandmother. Federal prosecutor Adrien Rush and Lee Mercer, a local FBI agent lead the investigation into the cross burnings without much luck until a local detective, Jimmy Batiste, arrests the Klan’s new grand dragon Frank Daniels and coerces a confession out of him. Frank is convicted but years later the truth surfaces about how Batiste got the confession and now the town is faced with an ethical dilemma: seeking justice for victims of hate crimes versus who truly deserves a “fair” trial.
Some of the best legal thrillers revolve around ethical dilemmas that make an easy conviction hard to obtain. Such is the case with “No Truth Left to Tell,” Michael McAuliffe’s excellent debut novel about a civil rights case in the Deep South. The courtroom drama is interesting and written without any complicated legal terms so it is easy to follow. Being himself a climber, the author uses plenty of climbing metaphors throughout: “A climber who’s given an extra bottle of oxygen in the death zone on Everest gratefully makes use of it” and regular metaphors as well “The Klansman’s strained breaths dissipated through the car’s interior like the smoky remains of a cheap cigar” both of which make the story really come alive. Foreshadowing is rarely used in modern novels but here it successfully builds the climax “Gill and Mercer both laughed, oblivious to the land mine that awaited.” The characters are relatable and well developed, especially Adrien Rush. This is a fascinating page-turner recommended for John Grisham fans. Hopefully this will turn into a series of novels featuring federal civil rights prosecutor Adrien Rush; he is an intriguing character and readers deserve more of his stories.
“It can’t be some truth you’re selling; it has to be the only truth with nothing left to tell.”
*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.
Twin Liquors has installed social distancing markers in an effort to keep customers safe. Photo: Twin Liquors, used with permission.
Twin Liquors, committed to its team members and community, has been working on enhanced guidelines to ensure the safety of all customers and staff members. Over the last three weeks, Twin Liquors has expanded to over 40 stores to offer delivery and in-store pick-up in addition to implementing extra safety precautions and preparedness in every store across Texas. All Twin Liquors locations will remain open Monday through Saturday with modified hours from 11a.m. to 8p.m. (Twin Liquors, 2020)
Other safety measures include Plexiglas “sneeze-guards” for protection between the cash register and counter; safety signage, social distancing markers and reduced hours and the use of gloves and protective gear. The staff is also actively disinfecting the store on a regular basis.
The Texas-based family-owned liquor store has also expanded the online process. Originally providing delivery and online ordering for 12 locations, Twin Liquors is now offering e-commerce with delivery and in-store pick-up to 40+ stores varying by city, county and store location. Twin Liquors is currently serving most areas in Austin, Austin Metro, San Marcos and San Antonio; select areas of Houston; and select areas of Dallas (through Twin Liquors’ Sigel’s brand). This week, Twin Liquors also launched e-commerce to Georgetown, Killeen, New Braunfels, Temple, Victoria and Waco.
To shop with Twin Liquors, please visit the link here. To shop Sigel’s in Dallas, please use the link here. Customers are able to shop through the website or the Twin Liquors app, available to download on iOS and Android app stores. For a step-by-step video on how the ordering process can be done, please visit the links provided here – Twin Liquors and Sigel’s.
“Twin Liquors is committed to our team members and our communities. We are working diligently during this challenging time to balance the needs of the community and our staff while navigating through this uncertainty together. With that, we are continually updating safety procedures and are expanding e-commerce capabilities daily.” – David Jabour, president of Twin Liquors.
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