Holding the Threads

Book excerpt: An authentic historical novel about the harshness of life of missionaries in South America in the first half of the 20th century. Based on extensive research of the author’s grandparents. A vivid memoir which explores how the richness of our lives depends on the quality of our relationships. SS Orita. Mid-atlantic. 1904 “Everything I had ever known was behind me and I had only the vaguest idea about where I was going. What if I had made an awful mistake?” Beatrice, newly wedded wife of Stuart McNairn – a recently qualified Evangelical missionary – is on her way to Cuzco, a town in Peru, which has persecuted English missionaries who have gone before. Their mission is to convert the native Indian population from the corruption and oppression of the Catholic Church which has crushed them into poverty and idolatry. But life in Cuzco is hard; disease, poverty and alcohol claim many lives. Beatrice and her husband, Mac, face both fierce opposition and physical hardship, which tests their relationship to its limits. In this fictional memoir, based on true events, we follow Beatrice through both good times and bad, in a life-time of self-discovery. Holding the Threads explores our sense of belonging and the connections we make with the past, the present and with future generations.