The Truth about the Devlins

TJ is the protagonist of The Truth About the Devlins, and the story is told from his first-person point of view. Because of this, although the story is a legal thriller about the family’s law firm in crisis, it is also a very personal story about TJ’s relationships with his family members, his sense of self-worth, and The Journey from Addiction to Recovery. TJ’s role in the Devlin family at the beginning of the novel is clear: He sums it up by saying, “I’m the black sheep, the baby of the family, the charming disappointment” (1). However, TJ is smart, empathetic, sensitive, and caring, especially when it comes to his family.

TJ wants a family of his own more than anything: “Everyone says women have biological clocks, but I was starting to feel like I had one, too. I wanted kids, I loved kids” (30). However, coming to terms with his alcohol addiction and the fallout from it has set him back in more ways than one. On a practical level, he realizes, “I didn’t want to be an old-man father, but I was aging into the category” (30). Furthermore, because TJ was sent to prison after forgetting his girlfriend’s daughter in the car, he doesn’t believe that he is capable, or worthy, of fatherhood.