A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

 A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

I am not sure if I liked this better than Breathing Lessons, but I am inclined in favor of the latter, by the same excellent author

After reading this good book, I thought about The Buddenbrooks and Joseph and His Brothers by Thomas Mann.

A Spool of Blue Thread is the story of a family, much like The Buddenbrooks and less like Joseph and His Brothers.

The Whitshank family is at the center of the novel, with its (at times too) many relatives, orphans and ancestors.

From the start I must say that I lost about a third of the story, when the plot moves on to Junior Whitshank.

Abby might be in the eye of the storm, as the woman who seems to control her husband, Red to an important degree.

She is the mother of three children and has adopted (in a strange, convoluted and secret way) a fourth, who is nicknamed Stem.

The most intriguing and often obnoxious is Denny, albeit I must confess that I liked at least some of his attitudes.

For instance, there is meal- I think it was Thanksgiving, with one of the Hughes- both sons-in-law are called Hugh- carving the turkey.

At that meal, there are a few guests, one of which is an alien of some king- legal alien, living in America but unhappy with it.

-          Americans are thought to be so kind but they are not

-          Why do you say that

-          Well, they keep saying – how are you, good to see you

-          That is good, isn’t it?

-          Noooo…they also say have a great weekend

-          Still, nice words

-          But how do they expect me to have a good weekend…I know nobody, I am invited nowhere

About here, in this approximate rendition of what I remember from the dinner dialogue, Denny break s in with

-          You know, people are polite

-          They are not kind

-          But they are, for they do not tell you that they do not like you! They just spare you that and use civilized talk

It is something along these lines, albeit it is what I remember and I might have amused myself getting the wrong message.

Denny is caustic, unpredictable, annoying and pretty much a kind of negative personage, leaving and coming when he wants.

He disappears for three years, after a remark from his father irritated him, after Red asks some details about his daughter and wife.

Anyway, at various times, we learn that Denny is aware of the issues he is confronting, albeit in a somewhat fruitless manner.

Abby is in many ways an angel of a woman, especially if we consider her attitude in the case of Stem, who came into their home unexpectedly.

His mother was a runaway who left her baby with the father who was employed by the construction company owned by Red.

Stem’s father dies and the boy appears to have no next of kin and Abby takes the decision to make the boy her responsibility, adopting him in all but name.

However, angels may have their dark side, for in this matter, Abby acts in a sort of strange way, that I better keep away from, in order to avoid spilling any beans.

I have read two other books by Anne Tyler- Accidental Tourist and Breathing Lessons, with kudos for the latter in particular.

The great expectations I had had have been rewarded by a good read, diminished a little by the part about Junior Whitshank, his contemporaries and his age.