I Know This Much Is True

After their first year of college, Dominick and Thomas—along with Leo and a boy named Ralph Drinkwater—get jobs doing outdoor maintenance work for the city. It is the summer of 1969.

Dominick recalls the year Ralph’s twin sister, Penny Ann, was killed. The Drinkwaters were poor and faced discrimination due to their Black and Wequonnoc identity; Penny Ann was poorly behaved and notoriously stole from other students. Dominick, for no reason, informed a teacher one day that Penny Ann had stolen another student’s cookies when she had not. Dominick’s lie was believed, and later that day, Penny Ann disappeared during a snowstorm. Her murdered body was later recovered. Dominick recalled that Ralph disappeared shortly thereafter but reappeared in 10th grade. He fought with their history teacher, who insisted that there were no more Indigenous people remaining in the area.

A week and a half after Thomas’s admission to Hatch, Dominick is told that Thomas is doing well, though visitors are still not allowed. Then, one day while Dominick is painting, he receives a phone call: There has been an incident, and Dr. Patel wishes to meet with him at her office.

As Dominick waits for Dr. Patel, he thinks of his deceased daughter, Angela, who would have been seven. She died of sudden infant death syndrome at three weeks old. After the baby’s death, Dominick could not face the grief. When Dessa arranged a trip abroad for what would have been Angela’s first birthday, Dominick refused to go. Instead, he had a vasectomy and told no one.

Dessa returned refreshed and renewed, having decided that she would like to have another baby. Dominick’s news about the surgery drove her away. They separated and then got divorced. One day while he was teaching, Dominick suffered an anxiety attack. Though he visited a psychiatrist once in the aftermath, he did not return. Instead, he resigned from his teaching job and started a painting business.

In the meeting, Patel tells Dominick that Thomas lashed out that morning because of the security cameras. He threw food and upset a table. She assures Dominick that although he had to be temporarily restrained, Thomas is recovering well. She explains that though one of his medical doctors wishes to increase the dosage of his medication, Patel is not certain that this is wise. Dominick, too, rallies against increased medication.

Patel then plays a recording of a conversation she just had with Thomas. In it, he discusses being in a witness protection program because he is being pursued by the KGB. He expresses other grandiose beliefs, such as that George H. W. Bush and the CIA are colluding to harm him because of Thomas’s attempts to stop the conflict in the Persian Gulf. Patel wants Dominick’s insight on some of the references Thomas makes: Dominick points out that Thomas calling her “Suzy Q” is notable since it is the name that Ray would call their mother when he was belittling her. Patel believes that Thomas looks up to Dominick and is protective of him. She hopes that by learning about his childhood, she can help Thomas.

In the summer of 1969, Dominick and Thomas return home after their first year of college. They both get jobs with the Three Rivers Public Works Department, assigned to the same crew, along with Leo and Ralph Drinkwater. They spend the day performing maintenance tasks around town, and Dominick feels invigorated by the manual labor of weeding and mowing. Dominick worries about Thomas, who is often teased by their supervisor, but Thomas appears fine overall. Dominick’s favorite task is tending to the various cemeteries around town, where he locates not only both of his grandparents’ graves but also that of Ralph’s sister, Penny Ann.

One day, they return home to find Ray waiting for them, their freshman-year report cards in hand. He berates Thomas for his series of Ds, Fs, and Incompletes, and Thomas begins to cry while attempting to explain. Ray only berates him more, blaming the boys’ mother for treating them so softly. Dominick, to take the focus off Thomas, turns Ray’s attention to his grades, which are strong. The two fight, with Dominick not backing down, and the fight escalates when Ray attacks Concettina and then destroys jars of her recently canned vegetables.

Dominick rushes out of the house and spends the rest of the night at a local pond. When he returns, Ray is at work, and Concettina has left Dominick’s dinner for him. The kitchen has been cleaned of the mess and broken glass. Dominick’s mother defends Ray, insisting that his difficult childhood is what causes him to lash out. Dominick is angered by her calling Ray his father. Dominick asks her, repeatedly, who his real father is, but she ignores him.

Back in the present, the judge in Thomas’s case suddenly decides to reevaluate whether Thomas should remain in Hatch for 15 days. Dominick and Dr. Patel sit in Lisa Sheffer’s office, waiting for her to return with information about the judge’s decision. While they wait, Patel plays more taped conversations between herself and Thomas for Dominick. Dominick grows angry when Thomas exaggerates the abuse meted out onto him by Ray. He is frustrated by Patel’s assessment, believing that delving into the past is pointless if Thomas’s illness is a chemical one. Patel stresses that a full picture of who Thomas was before his illness is helpful to her. She notes that there are currently studies being done on twins in which the healthy twin is examined via MRI, too.

The tape continues until Dominick becomes increasingly angry. Finally, under Patel’s prodding, he explodes—voicing his anger that Thomas has always been an anchor that drags him down and that he fears that he will never be free of this anchor.

Sheffer arrives and explains that while the criminal charges against Thomas have been dropped, a hearing has been scheduled for the following week in front of the Psychiatric Security Review Board. This board may decide that Thomas needs to be permanently institutionalized. Both Sheffer and Patel are confused at the court system’s sudden hurry and fearful, as Thomas will not be fully adjusted to his medication in such short time.

The moon landing occurs in 1969, shortly after Ray’s outburst over Thomas’s grades. Ray buys a color television, which Dominick views as a kind of apology. Not willing to give Ray the satisfaction of forgiveness, Dominick skips watching the moon landing to go out with Leo.

Leo has secured fake IDs for them both, but they are caught at the first bar they try. The next one—called “The Dial Tone”—immediately gives them entrance. Leo and the other boys flirt with girls all night, speaking crudely about them from a distance and berating the waitress. When Dominick tries to defend the waitress, she replies snidely, rejecting his help.

When Leo leaves with one of the girls to walk the beach, Dominick heads out on his own. He thinks about his brother, wondering why he does such strange things, such as walking in the dorm alone at night. The waitress approaches him, wanting to know if he has jumper cables, as her car will not start. He believes that she has probably only flooded the engine and invites her to wait with him before trying the car again. They chat amicably, and she apologizes for responding rudely to his attempt to defend her at the bar. It becomes clear that the woman is Dessa.

Dominick obtains Dessa’s phone number and heads home to find Ray asleep on the couch in front of the glowing television.

During the summer of 1969, Dominick grows closer to Leo and Ralph Drinkwater as the three work together. Much of the time, they are left unsupervised as their supervisor drinks and naps. Dominick begins officially dating Dessa and spends time at her parents’ house between her shifts at the bar. They are away for the summer in Greece, and it thrills Dominick to know that his visits are forbidden. One day after having sex, Dessa complains about work at the bar. Dominick encourages her to quit: She has a childcare job as well and does not need the money. Dessa is adamant, though, that she does not want to rely on her father. She wants to prove to him that she can care for and support herself. One day, Ray gives Dominick a box of condoms, urging him to be careful. Dominick is snide but finds the conversation out of character for Ray—a rare moment when he attempts to act like a true father.

As the summer continues, Ralph begins to feel more comfortable around Leo and Dominick, sharing marijuana with them and horsing around. Dominick senses, however, that there are boundaries not to be crossed with Ralph. When Leo makes a joke about a drowned body in the river, Dominick later berates him—the river they are swimming in near the Wequonnoc cemetery is the one where Ralph’s sister’s body was found.

Thomas becomes more and more of an outsider—Leo and Ralph make fun of him, and Dominick is relieved to be included on the other side of their ribbing. One night, Thomas begins lecturing Dominick about their use of marijuana. Dominick responds angrily, but Thomas insists that he loves Dominick and only fears legal repercussions if Dominick were to get caught. Years later, Dominick recounts the moment to Dr. Patel, certain that though this was when Thomas’s disease was likely setting it, it was one of the last moments when he was still his true self.

At the end of August, Ray gives Dominick and Thomas the money for the upcoming year’s tuition. Dominick and Leo have been approved to be roommates and assigned a room on the south side of campus. Dominick knows that he must tell Thomas.

One day at work, Thomas attempts to tell their supervisor, Dell Weeks, to stop calling him names. Dell laughs and threatens to fight Thomas. The incident escalates as Ralph becomes involved; Dell achieves retribution by assigning them to cut weeds in a mucky, bug-infested bog. At the end of the day, Thomas quits.

Returning home, he discovers a letter from the college with information about his new roommate. He is certain it is a mistake, so Dominick must explain that he has decided to room with Leo. Thomas pities himself, calling himself “Thomas Dirt” and asserting that everyone walks all over him. Dominick heads to The Dial Tone—the bar where Dessa works—to wait for the end of her shift. He has finally met her parents, and the situation was uncomfortable.

After a few drinks at the bar, Dominick climbs into Dessa’s car to wait for her, throwing his bike in the trunk. He is eager to have sex, but Dessa is angry: Her mother has discovered her birth control pills and informed her father. Her father then lectured her that Dominick is not good enough for her. Dessa rails against her father, believing him to be money focused and judgmental. Dominick attempts to kiss her, but Dessa is too upset. Finally, drunk and impatient, Dominick forces himself on Dessa. When the sex is over, she cries and yells.

Dominick walks home—his bike still in the trunk of Dessa’s car—and finds his brother asleep. A strange note is waiting for him on his pillow. Dominick is determined to finally break free of Thomas when the fall arrives.

The next morning, Dominick phones Dessa to apologize. He calls from his mother and Ray’s bedroom for privacy, though no one else appears to be home. The phone rings and rings. He studies the contents of the bedroom, focusing on the iridescent painting of Jesus and recalling the day his mother bought it and the incident with the stranger on the bus.

Thomas returns then, and Dominick joins him on the couch where he is watching television. He tries to be friendly and apologetic for the roommate situation, but Thomas gives him the silent treatment. Finally, Dominick blurts out that he had a fight with Dessa. Thomas reveals that Dessa phoned that morning about returning Dominick’s bike and mistook Thomas for Dominick. She expressed an interest in meeting Thomas, and Thomas, posing as Dominick, planned to do so.

Dominick is instantly relieved and relaxes. He begins teasing Thomas about the winter hat he is wearing, but Thomas responds strangely. He speaks cryptically, and Dominick recalls the strange note from the night before. Then, Thomas begins shredding the pages of the TV Guide, alarming Dominick with his odd behavior.