A character-driven novel that straddles two continents | For those who are fascinated by culturally disparate methods of solving the same problem.
Threads
A story about our cultural diversity & shared humanity
One woman has an extraordinary gift, another woman desperately needs one, and the man in the middle is indifferent.
Irene is content in her new marriage of convenience and her young life is going according to plan. Her husband plays the stock market, they own a convenience store and they live in an upscale neighborhood of a small town at the foothills of the Canadian Rockies.
When sudden tragedy strikes, Irene is unable to cope. But then she rediscovers the familiar comfort of yarn. She knits compulsively and soon fills the rooms of their house with countless beautiful sweaters.
Finally, in an attempt to curb her unhealthy behavior, Irene’s husband donates all of her exquisite creations to a charity and one of them lands on the other side of the world, where it’s stolen by Columba, a poverty-stricken single mother.
The little sweater is re-purposed and takes on a life of its own as Columba uses it to help overcome her own hardships. As the two women struggle to get by, their distinct coping methods take bizarre twists.
Sprinkled with magic realism and humor, the story brings to light social inequities and global environmental damage. But it’s really about two women learning to live with loss, and our shared humanity.
Download excerpt from THREADS
Links to exterior site
“Wonderful story-telling: How can two completely different worlds be so connected? This is what Threads deals with in a gripping way – I say gripping because I was constantly curious to see what would happen next to each of the characters. It made me laugh and cry and think about how one or two small actions can have a massive impact on somewhere or someone far away. Edie Ayala’s characters are what I loved the most – a real insight into human nature.”
– Kindle Review, UK
………………………
“…The author’s flair for creating stories with character-driven plot is utterly impeccable as it gives these characters a touch of reality. The other themes of hyperconsumerism and environmental deterioration has been time to time explored in this book.”
– LibraryThing Review
………………………
“This odd little novel bounces between an affluent British Columbia town and a poverty-stalked village in Chile… Ayala flirts with magical realism here, takes a couple of swipes at New Age Paganism, and frowns severely at first-world consumerism… As a knitter, I was particularly enchanted by the descriptions of the sweaters and by Irene’s use of them to create a barrier between herself and her grief.”
– LibraryThing Review
E-book ISBN 978-0-9880032-1-7
Print book ISBN 978-0-9880032-0-0
6” x 9” paperback, 314 pages
FIC000000 FICTION / General
FIC051000 FICTION / Cultural Heritage
SOC015000 SOCIAL SCIENCE / Human Geography
Publisher: Stories with Character
Print book 16.99 USD
Ebook 8.99 USD
Links to exterior site