Butterfly is about a girl named "Plum" Coyle. Her real name is Ariella, but she doesn't like that name. She's soon turning fourteen, and she is the youngest of her siblings- there's Justin, Cydar and herself. She's going through some changes. She thinks she is fat and ugly. She doesn't have a lot of true friends. She finds herself lost at high school, and at home a bit too. She is struggling to find her place in the world.
When she is crying, (one evening?) her neighbour, who she has never talked to or bothered much about, invites her over to her sons birthday party. Plum accepts, as as she sneaks to Maureen's (the neighbour) house, Maureen becomes somewhat of a role model for Plum. Maureen 'renames' Plum as Aria. Maureen gives advice about growing up. Plum and Maureen decide they are friends, even with the age gap - Plum is soon turning fourteen and Maureen is in her thirties.
Plum also makes a connection with Maureen's son, David, who is four years old. Plum enjoys taking care of David when Maureen is away. David is very quiet most of the time, and is not quite sure what to think of his home life. His father is away quite a lot.
Plum's interests include horror movies, and collecting items. Underneath her bed, so keeps an old suitcase stuffed with cotton balls, and inside are items- a crystal lamb, a Fanta hobo, an antique watch, an old coin and an ABBA badge. She uses them as kind of totemic treasures, which she speaks to and chants to. Ever heard of a fourteen year old doing that? Didn't think so.
Which comes to the points which were a bit errh in the book: (Warning: May contain mild spoilers. Will not destroy the book though).
- Plum is dumb for a fourteen year old. She let her 'kind of but not really friends' pierce her ears at home. Why..... At nearly fourteen years old, wouldn't you know that ears get infected if not treated properly. And it hurts like crazy. Not that I have had them done at home. I just learnt that from Grease.
Maureen also tells Plum to lose weight by throwing her lunch in the bin. That's stupid! And Plum
believed her, because Maureen was go gentle and always right about EVERYTHING. When you go through adolescence, you shouldn't not eat. Eating is beneficial. It just is. No more explaining needed. She didn't even lose any weight anyway.
Plum also steals from her friends. Why would you do that? I know she is struggling to accept herself. But she is just really pushing herself further away from her 'friends'.
-I just didn't like Justin. Plum says he's sweet and funny and cool. But I think he is too proud. He takes advantage of way too many things, and he lies about things. I think the character was supposed to be likeable, but he just didn't appeal to me the way I think it was supposed to.
- The ending was little disappointing. It ended with David in bed with his Maureen sitting beside him. David kept saying "I want Daddy," and that sort of thing. I was hoping for a better ending.
So there you go. I did like how the story was very unique. I don't think any other book about growing up that I have read is quite like it. I like its honesty. I liked its portrayal of teenage life. I liked how Plum's house was just so antique, with ancient furniture. I loved how her brother Cydar had literally a wall of fish tanks, housing heaps of interesting and colourful fish. I think I liked Cydar the best in this whole story.
Zobo!
