Review: Silver threads of delight
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 12, 2011
I liked the originality of this book. The framework is of a man taking his grandson on a trip back through history and memories by astral travel.  The book has a spiritual edge to it, filled with crystal balls and mythical wanderings. There are many humorous stories about the child's grandmother, who is fun, talented, quite wild in a way, tenacious and independent. The narrative switches between the first and third person; sometimes in sentences that bump each other, but I found this interesting and novel.  There are some fascinating insights into the politics of Panama and a scene set on Black Friday. The narrator `shows' his grandson his past, including his first political rally, for example. Something that stuck in my mind was when the narrator thought it a pity that children lose their glow as adults; that this glow is a gift. The silver thread linking the astral travellers made me think of the delicate, but strong thread connecting family members. It shimmers brightly with the memories of the grandfather narrator. He writes that one of his favourite animals is the elephant for, as they say, elephants never forget.