The Truth about the Devlins

The Truth About the Devlins explores the ways that family relationships and dynamics affect a family business. Devlin & Devlin, the family law firm, was started by Paul and Marie, and as their children have grown up, each has joined the firm in some capacity: John and Gabby as lawyers, and TJ as an investigator. The personal dynamics of the family are therefore embedded in the firm. This leads to a blurring of boundaries that confuses all the family members, especially TJ, who is on the fringes of the business. As he notes, “I hadn’t thought of it as my business, but in a way, it was my business. At least it was my family. Anyway it was my family business, which was confusing” (105). Scottoline explores the impact of these blurred boundaries throughout the novel, showing how working together affects the family on both personal and professional levels.

John, Gabby, and TJ’s roles in the family were established in childhood and haven’t changed since then. This is especially true of John and TJ—as TJ puts it, “I was the Bad Son and John was the Good Son. Our roles in our family are like our seats at the kitchen table.