The Boy With the Butterfly Mind

About this book

Since her dad left, Elin has strived to be perfect. She has convinced herself that if she is the tidiest, the most helpful and the most hardworking she can possibly be, her dad will leave his "fake family" and come back to live with her and her mum.

Jamie is chaotic, unpredictable and impulsive but is hoping that the move to America with his mum and her partner will give him the fresh start he thinks he needs.

When Elin and Jamie are thrown together by circumstances they cannot control, the results are complicated, messy and seem doomed to end in carnage. Until a mean-spirited trick leads to unexpected outcomes...

The complexities of families divided by break-up and reformed as blended versions of themselves will have been experienced by many readers. Elin and Jamie’s story does not belittle their feelings of rejection and betrayal but shows how adaptation and compromise might smooth the path to a different, but worthwhile, family dynamic.

The depiction of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is both sensitive and honest, and Williamson’s qualifications and experience in working with children with additional needs are self-evident.

A compelling and affecting book about acceptance, openness, mental health and the intricacy of family dynamics.