Threads

In 1536 a woman dies and the story begins... Henry and Anne are bona fide soul mates, bound to each other through eternity. Still, in 1536, they are at the mercy of influences outside of their control, explosively incompatible, and caught in a marriage that ends in a betrayal so shocking that Anne requires lifetimes to recover. "Threads", a reincarnation fantasy, opens with Anne's death in 1536. Her husband Henry, seemingly in defense of Anne (but more likely acting out of "stubborn perverseness," she observes), has terrorized England and decreed murder after political murder to protect her. Ultimately, to Anne's horror, he has made the decision to have her executed as well. Anne's fury at her husband's betrayal has enough momentum to survive centuries, but in "Threads" she learns that she has been assigned a hard task: she must forgive him. This may prove difficult and take some. The husband in question is Henry VIII. The narrator is the stubborn, volatile Anne Boleyn, who is not at all inclined to forgive. It is a very unusual love story. 2000 William Faulkner Competition finalist for best novel.