A Spool of Blue Thread

As Red and Abby Whitshank prepare for bed one night in July 1984, their son, Denny, calls them and proclaims that he’s gay. After Red’s audible annoyance, Denny quickly hangs up. Abby’s upset with Red for being so rude, but Red rationalizes that not only is Denny not gay, but he only said it to elicit anger. Denny, a 19-year-old kid who lives a nomadic lifestyle, enjoys being the “black sheep” of his family: They never know his whereabouts, and he doesn’t keep in constant contact. Despite Abby’s concern, Red assures her Denny will call back one day. She soon blames Red for Denny’s behavior, however, while Red blames her for mothering Denny too much. Abby is a social worker, and he feels she mixes work life with home life, while Red is a construction worker who, according to Abby, chased Denny away with burdensome masculinity. Red eventually comforts Abby, and they fall asleep in each other’s arms.

Denny resurfaces. He calls once to ask for money for college books, and another time to obtain a ticket home for Christmas. Both times, however, his sexuality isn’t touched upon. Instead, the Whitshanks learn that Denny has withdrawn from school and is going to visit a girlfriend—of whom neither know anything about—before Christmas. Though good-looking, and more generous than his brother Stem and sisters Amanda and Jeannie, Denny remains a thorn in his parents’ side. He’s critical of everyone, despite not being able to hold down a job (from apparent boredom) or find a purpose in life (at one point he began playing the French horn until he tired of it). He often clashed with Stem when they were both working for Red. His parents tried sending him to therapy once, which worked until Denny eloped with a girl named Amy Lin. The Whitshanks didn’t even know of his elopement until Amy’s parents called to inform them. To Abby, this is a prime example of how Denny never includes them in his personal life despite the families of his significant others always knowing about him. Guilt consumes Abby because Denny’s a stranger to his own family.

The author reveals several instances of Denny’s untethered nature in this chapter. For instance, he is known to take odd jobs and then quit suddenly. He even invites his family to a wedding at a restaurant where he has managed to become the chef, only for his family to discover it is Denny’s own wedding. This particularly hurts Abby because the bride’s mother, Lena, knows far more about Denny than the Whitshanks do about the bride, Carla. Denny then disappears and resurfaces, revealing Carla’s pregnancy, and disappears again. Denny later surprises the family by visiting for Thanksgiving with his daughter, Susan. During Thanksgiving, Denny engages his family, and in a show of support returns for Christmas with both Carla and Susan. He even begins to bring Susan home on a monthly basis. On one trip, however, Red queries an annoyed Denny about his job prospects, which ends the visits. The Whitshanks don’t hear from Denny again for three years.

Abby fears for Denny’s safety after the September 11th attacks. She finds Carla’s mother’s number in the phone book, and Amanda calls to obtain Denny’s number. She accuses him of being a rotten individual, so Denny returns home. Though he doesn’t bring Susan, “Denny did seem different—more cautious, more considerate of their feelings” (43). Still aloof, Denny eventually brings Susan around again, and the family learns he and Carla separated. To Abby’s annoyance, when Denny’s sister Jeannie later gives birth to a boy, Alexander, Jeannie asks Denny to watch her toddler, Deb, instead of Abby. Even though Jeannie suffered from postpartum depression, Abby resents that Denny was asked to help instead of her.