April 2011 Featured Book

ThreadofSky_paperback A Thread of Sky
by Deanna Fei '99

When her husband of thirty years is killed in a devastating accident, Irene Shen and her three daughters are set adrift. Nora, the eldest, retreats into her high-powered New York job. Kay, the middle child, escapes to China and Sophie, the youngest, is increasingly estranged from her family-and herself. Terrified of being left alone with her grief, Irene plans a tour of mainland China, reuniting three generations of women--her three daughters, her distant poet sister, and her formidable eighty-year-old mother-in a desperate attempt to heal her fractured family.

A stunning debut, A Thread of Sky is the story of a family of women and the powerful thread that binds their lives. In following the paths chosen by six fiercely independent women, A Thread of Sky explores the terrain we must travel to recognize the strength and vulnerability of those closest to us.


"One of the great pleasures of this novel is seeing how, out of their determination to understand and be inspired by their grandmother’s revolutionary struggles, a deeper family connection is forged."
- Conan Putnam Chicago Tribune