Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky

Wow! this book was a quick read. Even though it's 358 pages long, I read the whole thing yesterday. But I wasn't feeling all that well, and the story was a nice distraction.

It strikes me as a little odd that many novels with a knitting theme tend to revolve around a character who's been through some major personal tragedy, and turns to knitting in order to heal. This is no exception, although one doesn't usually expect the birth of a child to be tragic. Traumatic and emotional, yes, but not usually tragic.

Maybe "tragic" isn't the right word for a baby who is born to parents who are happily expecting her, but I'm not sure what else to call it when the baby is born resembling neither, and people begin to accuse the mother of having had an affair.

It is determined that the baby is, in fact, the offspring of the couple. The fact that the child appears to be African-American when both parents appear Caucasian is a mystery that is not solved without a great deal of anger, conflict and heartache.

But the characters are engaging, especially Dana, the baby's mother, who finds what should be a joyous occasion turned into something painful.

Where does the knitting come in, you ask? Well, Dana's grandmother owns a yarn shop, and that's where Dana goes when she needs a stress-free place to be. Many of the characters with whom she is closest are people who frequent the store.

This book is also being promoted by Berocco Yarns, who have published a book of patterns based on characters in the book.