The Long Bright Thread

A sweeping and suspenseful historical novel, based on the author’s relatives, about a family of Jewish tailors pulled into a covert wartime operation where every stitch could change the course of D-Day. Vienna, 1938. Master tailor Rudi and fashion designer Irma are driven from their world of measurements, fabrics, and fittings when the Nazis take over their beloved city. After the newlyweds are separated by war, Irma finds refuge in Scotland while Rudi is mysteriously recruited to Canada for his expertise in women’s tailoring. There, in hidden tunnels beneath Toronto’s Casa Loma, he crafts garments for Gisela, an undercover agent headed for occupied France. Behind enemy lines, she joins forces with Irma’s brother, Armin, whose work with the French Resistance tests his love and loyalty. Meanwhile, Irma’s sister Hilda struggles to keep her daughter and mother alive as they navigate the politics and privation of the Lódz Ghetto. When the balance of the world depends on the integrity of a single stitch, each member of this family of humble clothiers learns that they have a vital role to play in altering the fabric of history.