A Slender Thread »

Katharine Davis lives in New York City and York Harbor, Maine.

A gripping novel of two sisters who must reimagine the future-before they're ready to let go of the past.

As a girl, Margot Winkler knew her big sister Lacey would keep her safe. Decades later, Lacey's home is often Margot's refuge. Lacey's life has seemed close to perfect-a loving husband, twin daughters on the brink of womanhood, and a home filled with her beautiful hand-woven textiles. But everything changes when Lacey reveals some devastating news. A rare disease is slowly stealing her ability to use language. Now Margot must imagine the future and find the courage to help her sister discover a new voice, keenly aware of the slender threads that bind them to this life, and to each other.

Publishers Weekly

Close-knit ties between two sisters become strained and each girl's relationships with other people nearly unravel in Davis's (East Hope) deeply stirring family drama inspired by Primary Progressive Aphasia, a neurological disease that gradually destroys communication abilities. New York gallery employee and frustrated artist Margot Winkler always looks for guidance to her older sister, Lacey, a talented New Hampshire weaver, but now when her sister is diagnosed with PPA, they're forced to swap roles. Lacey's husband, Alex, wants Lacey to break the news to their college-bound twins, Wink and Toni, despite Lacey's reluctance, and asks Margot to convince her. Meanwhile Oliver, Margot's live-in boyfriend, grows increasingly unhappy with Margot focusing on Lacey instead of their relationship. As they hurtle toward an ultimately enlightening crisis, Davis interweaves her characters' perspectives with amazing dexterity. A cut above the usual family tear-jerker, Davis delivers an insightful exploration of how a terminal illness can affect not only the one diagnosed, but also the people who love them. (Aug.)