Invisible Threads by Annie and Maria Dalton

This novel is told by two different people, explaining different times of their lives. The one is Carrie-Anne, a young girl trying to find her birth mother. The other person is Naomi, Carrie-Anne's birth mother. Carrie-Anne's story is the present while Naomi's story discusses the the pastevents leading up to Carrie-Anne's birth. Carrie-Anne is bitter about her parents hiding her adoption and their unacceptance of her search for her biological mother. This creates a rift between Carrie-Anne and her adopted mother which makes her seem like a spoiled brat. At the same time, Carrie-Anne has her three friends that incorporates the conflict of what happens when friends become more than friends and those feelings change. Does Carrie-Anne ever meet her birth mother and what answers can this mother give her are the ultimate questions of her story line.

Naomi is another story line. She lives with her single mother who has what might be considered Bio-polar tendencies. Naomi adapts to her mother's highs and lows, trying to be a happy force in her life. At one point they find happiness when Lily and her two daughters enter the picture. That, though, changes when a man arrives, destroying not only the friendship, but the mother/daughter relationship. Things then get even more complex and disastrous when Naomi finds herself pregnant and feeling alone.

The invisible thread that connects these two is nothing more than their DNA. There are brief moments when similarities appear and the term "invisible thread" appears once or twice in the novel, but there needs to be more of an overlap to deliver the answers the story desires. I would have loved to have found out how Naomi ends up as an adult. There is so much about her childhood and how that affects her that it might be nice to see how it truly shapes her once she gains true independence. This story has the potential to turn into a Nature vs. Nurture exploration, but it falls short of choosing a side. You'd think that calling the novel an "invisible thread" it's pulling more towards Nature and how these two women are always connected, but there's not enough proof one way or the other. There almost needs to be more purpose or answers come the end of the novel. If the conclusion is that there are no answers, then the build-up is disappointing.
MMK