The Thread: A Novel

“A brilliant page turner…rich with drama and historical detail.”
—Glamour (UK)

A beautiful and epic novel that spans nearly a hundred years, The Thread is a magnificent story of a friendship and a love that endures through the catastrophes and upheavals of the twentieth century—both natural and man-made—in the turbulent city of Thessaloniki, Greece. Victoria Hislop, internationally bestselling author of The Island and The Return, has written a wonderfully evocative and enthralling saga enriched by deep emotion and sweeping historical events, from fire to civil war to Nazi brutality and economic collapse. The Thread is historical fiction at its finest, colorful and captivating with truly unforgettable characters—a novel that brilliantly captures the energy and life of this singular Greek city.

From the internationally acclaimed author of The Island and The Return comes a sweeping and unforgettable story of love and friendship and the choices that must be made when loyalties are challenged.

Thessaloniki, Greece, 1917: As Dimitri Komninos is born, a fire sweeps through the thriving multicultural city where Christians, Jews, and Muslims live side by side. It is the first of many catastrophic events that will forever change this place and its people. Five years later, as the Turkish army pushes west through Asia Minor, young Katerina loses her mother in the crowd of refugees clambering for boats to Greece. Landing in Thessaloniki's harbor, she is at the mercy of strangers in an unknown city. For the next eighty years, the lives of Dimitri and Katerina will be entwined with each other and—through Nazi occupation, civil war, persecution, and economic collapse—with the story of their homeland.

Thessaloniki, Greece, 2007: A young Anglo-Greek hears his grandparents' remarkable story for the first time and understands he has a decision to make. For decades, Dimitri and Katerina have looked after the treasures of those who have been forced from their beloved city. Should he stay and become their new custodian?

“Adding depth and colour to the story is the description of Cretan life. . . . It is one of the achievements of this thoughtful novel that it presents the lives of the island’s inhabitants with such empathy. The result is a fascinating work that combines a moving love story with a plea for more understanding about this most cruel of diseases.” - The Times, on The Island

“This is a vivid, moving and absorbing tale, with its sensitive, realistic engagement with all the consequences of, and stigma attached to leprosy, elevating it beyond holiday literature.” - The Observer

“Combining a keen eye for detail with her usual fluid writing style, Hislop presents an engrossing excursion to Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest metropolis. . . . This fast–moving, touching saga about tragedy, recovery, and the real meaning of family is full of dramatic incidents demonstrating their city’s transformation and resilience.” - Booklist

“Hislop is a clever storyteller. . . 20th-century Greece and her citizens are brought vividly to life. Striking an excellent balance between historicity and impassioned drama, Hislop’s newest should not be missed.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Hislop’s vivid storytelling makes a fascinating, turbulent place and time spring to life.” - Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Hislop writes in rich, vivid detail about the city by the sea, bringing its diverse population to life. . . . Sweeping in scope yet intimate in detail, THE THREAD is a love letter to Greece and a testament to the courage and adaptability of its people.” - Shelf Awareness

“A brilliant page turner and destined to become a reading group staple, THE THREAD is rich with drama and historical detail.” - Glamour (UK)