Trivia-on-Book: A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler. A Spool of Blue Thread tells the story of your typical American family - or so it seems. The Whitshanks have lived in the Whitshank house for generations. As the head of the family is aging and his wife is suffering from dementia, their now grown-up children moved back to their house promising to take care of them. With a house full of children and two dogs, things start to unfold as each sibling brings to light previous issues and comes to terms with each other. World renowned author, Anne Taylor takes us into another family drama story that will move the reader's emotions.