Staff Pick
Tyler's story of three generations of the Whitshank family has all the typical hallmarks for which she is so well known. There is family drama and dysfunction and sorrow aplenty, but Tyler also has an amazing way of exposing family in all its ugly and beautiful glory. These characters love each other, except when they don't, and every interaction is crackling with Tyler's quirky and unassuming wit. Full of layered, whole characters, A Spool of Blue Thread shows how lives intersect — very rarely neatly — and how that mess gives meaning to every human connection. Tyler is a master of her craft — this being her 20th novel — and she is a treasure to read. You will recognize your own family (and yourself) in these pages, and cry, laugh, and cringe accordingly. So lovely! Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com