This debut novel probes a haunting mystery with an unforgettable protagonist.
Seventeen-year-old Penelope "Lo" Marin has collected beautiful things all her life, treasures from each town she's lived in (11 total). But since her brother, Oren, died, her hobby has evolved into an obsession. While wandering through a "sad, strange part of Cleveland"--Neverland, the city of lost children--Lo barely escapes gunfire intended for a stripper named Sapphire. The next day, Lo visits a flea market and comes across a butterfly pendant that had been among Sapphire's things and, with that, a commitment to find Sapphire's murderer takes hold.
Lo's Obsessive Compulsive Disorder distinguishes her narrative from other crime-solving protagonists. She's ruled by superstition about numbers ("The year I turned eight I wouldn't let Mom put eight candles on the birthday cake. Eight candles would have made it inedible"), and she's a kleptomaniac hoarder, trying to hold onto things forever, unlike Oren. Oren was Lo's only friend until Flynt, a street artist in a bear-eared hat, introduces himself and quickly becomes her tour guide in Neverland--friend, love interest and suspect in the very crime Lo has set out to solve.
Kate Ellison not only masterfully allows readers insight into the sufferings of OCD, but she explores the lives of Neverland's lost children, such as runaways and strippers, while remaining mindful of her teen audience. With bold storytelling, gritty characters and otherworldly locales, The Butterfly Clues marks a magnificent debut. --Adam Silvera, events assistant, Books of Wonder, New York City