Butterflies Dance in the Dark

Theresa Paltzat is the Smart Search librarian at the Edmonton Public
Library.

Beatrice MacNeil’s debut novel takes us through the childhood and
adolescence of Mari-Jen, the illegitimate daughter of a religious and
deeply superstitious woman.

The opening scene provides a dramatic introduction to Mari-Jen’s
family life. A storm rages on her fifth birthday and she does not have a
chance to blow out her candles and make her wish for a father and 100
crayons to color her world. Her brothers, also illegitimate, are
troublemakers who flout their mother’s firm belief that holy water and
a rubber boot will protect them from the devil’s storm. If
Mari-Jen’s home life is difficult, her experiences at a Catholic-run
school are mixed. Having the deepest impact on her development are the
warmhearted Sister Therese and Mother Superior, who is as cruel as
Sister Therese is kind.

Butterflies Dance in the Dark includes many East Coast literary themes
(the church, storms, and abuse, etc.), but its greatest strength is the
character of Mari-Jen, with all her complexities and deep emotions.