A Spool of Blue Thread

by Anne Tyler

First published 2015

Abby Whitshank sits on the porch with her husband Red, their four children, grandchildren, and old dog. She begins telling the story they all know by heart. It was a beautiful July afternoon in 1959 when she fell in love with Red. The family listens as she recounts that breezy yellow and green day once again. But this familiar gathering carries new weight. Abby and Red are aging, and their children must decide how to care for them. They also face questions about the house Red's father built with such love and care. The Whitshank family spans three generations, each carrying shared stories and hidden secrets. Their unguarded moments and richly lived experiences define who they are together. Tyler follows the family through their everyday struggles and quiet revelations, showing how ordinary lives contain extraordinary depth.

Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, adult-fiction, 21st-century, family-drama

Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: found-family

Setting: United States

Period: 1959, 20th Century, 21st Century

358 pages · Hardcover · Knopf

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