An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski

An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski – 272 pages

In the tradition of the New York Times bestseller The Blind Side, The Invisible Thread tells of the unlikely friendship between a busy executive and a disadvantaged young boy, and how both of their lives changed forever.

This book has been on my radar for some time but I hadn’t picked it up until it was a book club choice. Although it was a quick read, it was also often hard to read when faced with the reality of Maurice’s current life as well as the author’s past. Schroff wrote this is a way that seemed young adult to me, for example the explanation of what a consultant does, and the continued repetition of the same ideals. I shouldn’t comment on the choices the author/main character made as they are her reality and this isn’t a work of fiction. But I will anyway; I couldn’t understand why so much of this book was about her past rather than the depth and breadth of their unlikely friendship. I was utterly confused that in her relationship with her new husband, the conversation of Maurice never came up in a deep or substantial way nor did the discussion of starting a family. For such a high-powered executive, you’d think she’d broach those subjects with her intended. Don’t get me wrong, what she did for Maurice overall was a gift of limitless love and selflessness but some of her choices along the way stumped me. The times they spent just hanging out and Maurice’s wish for a large dining room table touched me deeply and I do believe that there was an invisible thread pulling them together. I wish this was told together with Maurice as his letter at the end of the book seemed redundant to the story that had already been told. Overall, a feel good story. If you liked this, I highly recommend A Chance In The World by Steve Pemberton.

– “Was there something inherently patronized about what I did, something maybe exploitive? Help out a poor kid, feel better about your own life?”

– “Miss Laura, some day when I grow up, I’m gonna have a big table like that for me and my family. I want to sit around and talk, just like they do.”

– “If love is the greatest gift of all-and I believe it is- then the greatest privilege of all is to be able to love someone.”

– “An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place and circumstance. The thread may stretch and tangle. But it will never break.” –Ancient Chinese Proverb