3 minute read
"I couldn't be happier for The Invisible String to be my legacy"
How a children’s book, dreamed up by a concerned mum, has spread its message of love and connection around the world.
It’s been 25 years since Patrice Karst first dreamed up the concept for her bestselling book, The Invisible String
“It began when my son was five, and developed really bad separation anxiety,” she recalls.
“I’d take him to school, and as I went to leave, he'd cry; it was really heartbreaking.
“One day, I just told him what was obvious to me, which was that we were connected all day long, even though he couldn’t see me, by an invisible string.
“Something about hearing that tangible idea, of a very abstract concept of love and connection, cured his separation anxiety overnight.”
The idea fresh in her mind, single mum Patrice approached a small publisher she knew, and told him the idea. He agreed to print it.
Over the next two decades, The Invisible String became a worldwide phenomenon, read in homes, schools, libraries, learning centres, hospices, and grief organisations all over the world - and completely changing Patrice’s life.
“I received so many letters, from families, sharing stories with me of how they've been helped by the book," she says.
“It became the number one children’s book for death and dying, because of one page where the children ask if the invisible string can reach all the way to Uncle Brian in heaven, and mom says ‘of course’.”
And 25-years on from its release, its simple tale - a reminder of the love and connection we share with those who can’t be with us - has never been more relevant.
“Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve been getting more letters than ever,” says Patrice, speaking from her home in Southern California where she, like the rest of us, has spent most of the past year in isolation.
“The Invisible String seems to have become the go-to book for children during this time, because it addresses our current situation, and the need to realise we still have an invisible string connecting us to friends, teachers, and grandparents, even when we can’t physically see them. It’s taken it to a whole other level.
“Adults also began sending the book to one another during lockdown, as a reminder that the love and connection of the invisible string binds us all.
“In times of difficulty and anxiety, this simple and comforting message is one that we all really need to hear sometimes - myself included.
“My son is 29 now, and lives about a mile away. There was a sweet moment a while ago, when I was having a difficult time, and he came to see me.
“He handed me a copy of The Invisible String, and inside, he’d written: ‘Mom, you wrote this book for me so many years ago, but a string has two ends, and I want you to know that I love you so much, and we will always be connected.’
“It was such a precious, full circle moment."
Today the book is published in 12 languages, and has spawned an entire brand: The Invisible String Workbook, The Invisible Leash - specifically for children who have lost a pet - The Invisible Web, and You Are Never Alone, which Patrice describes as ‘an Invisible String lullaby’ for very young children.
There’s even talk of a film.
“The book has gone way beyond me and my son now," she says, shaking her head in amazement.
“It carries with it an energy, a message, that I think has always been needed, and always and forever will be needed.
“My goal is that every child will one day know about their invisible strings. I couldn’t be happier than for that to be my mission in life - to spread that message.”
