A Thread So Fine
St. Paul, Minnesota, 1946. Shannon and Eliza are about to start their first year of college. But when tragedy strikes each girl, their bond begins to unravel. Eliza leaves home while Shannon slowly recovers from her own ordeal. As years pass, Shannon searches for a way to reunite her family and questions the true reason her sister ran away. Could the link she’s been praying for rest in the heart of a young girl?
This is a tale of two sisters whose lives stay woven together by a fine thread despite distances and secrets pulling them apart. The multiple other dynamic threads twisting around their connection is a complex tapestry the author expertly unravels in emotionally impactful ways. There’s an exploration of relationships that both weaken and strengthen the heart and how these can change when viewed through a different light. Through their struggles, the sisters end up as opposing forces. While one tries to pull the family back together, the other sister avoids anything related to her past. Societal pressures and shame also play a weighty role in keeping the women of their family silent, which has a multi-generational impact.
As their lives sweep into the growing women’s movement of the ’50s and ’60s, each sister finds a way to carve out an unexpected yet safe place for themselves. Welch explores the period and places with beautiful detail. A family saga of women with regrets and secrets that shines with its multilayered characters and rich storyline. Recommended.
