The Red Thread

"The Red Thread" is an original memoir spanning three generations of the author's family. A term used in tailoring, the red thread refers to a temporary basting stitch that holds the layers of fabric together before the final sewing. Tension on the thread must be balanced between being too tight and too loose. Too taut, and the fabric puckers; too lax, and the layers separate. This original collection of essays traces the thread of violence and nurturing stitched into succeeding generations. A father strips off his belt to whip his son; the boy's seven-year-old brother intercedes. The author tries to neutralize her brother's schizophrenia by including him in her fantasy world. Parents, siblings and finally the author's own children reflect patterns cut from different cloth, each subject to the tension of caring and cruelty that are unique to every family and give the individuals their final shape.