The War On Butterflies

The War on Butterflies is a bold, coming-of-age story that dives into the chaos of growing up, the weight of family expectations, and what it means to find your place in a world that doesn’t make sense. Tobias Stuart Daye is fifteen, caught between backyard fireworks and the confusing mess of first desire. Things get even weirder when he’s pursued—yes, pursued—by a relentless Pentecostal minister, just as his adopted cousin Aiyana starts down a path that could change everything.

Set in the quiet but quirky town of Fairhaven, Washington, this novel unfolds as an unexpected invasion of cabbage butterflies throws the whole community into panic. What started as Toby’s harmless hobby explodes into something much bigger—especially when his mom, a Unitarian minister with dreams of political office, decides the butterflies are a public menace. Her obsession with control pulls the family apart and eventually sends her fleeing to mysterious Lummi Island.

But that’s just the beginning.

Toby’s older brother Jace is sinking into heroin. Aiyana is chasing something she can’t explain—something dangerous. And Toby? He’s stuck trying to figure out what any of it means. How to stay loyal to people you love, even when they’re broken. How to survive your own mistakes. How to hold onto yourself when everything around you is falling apart.

The War on Butterflies is about family, freedom, and the beautiful, brutal mess of being a teenager. It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s unforgettable.