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Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite
Catherine Marshall-Smith’s The Resilience of Red Thread follows twenty-one-year-old Emily Miller, who finally musters up the courage to leave her abusive husband, Lee. Lee keeps violating his restraining order, and when a hornet’s nest threatens Emily’s home, she hires an exterminator named Jake Clayton, a kind, funny cowboy she can’t afford to pay. They bond over dinner, and a connection grows. Then Lee breaks in at night, and Jake rescues Emily and her daughter, Jenna. The tender moments they share make Jake’s growing control even more suspicious. Moving to a secluded cabin gives Emily a sense of security and peace, knowing that Lee can’t reach them. But who is Jake, and can he, the perfect man who never hits a woman and who never drinks, be just a veneer that hides something more sinister?
Catherine Marshall-Smith is a master at creating suspense, the kind that raises questions in your mind and makes you wonder what can possibly go wrong in the next scene. The first-person voice skillfully carries this suspense as it captures Emily’s emotions and inner world. The dramatic irony is excruciating as Jake morphs into a captor while Emily still sees a hero in him. The Resilience of Red Thread is well-paced, with focused scenes, including an ocean rescue, a terrifying van crash, and a deadly standoff. The author writes about coercive control in a way I haven’t read before, examining the consequences of generational trauma and addiction. The characters are the backbone of the story, and the present-tense narrative gives readers the experience of watching scenes unfold before their eyes.
