The Summer of the Mourning Cloak

‘The butterfly never meets its mother. It must survive independently and remains a stranger to affection... A child who grows up in a cold and detached home environment is similar to the butterfly, in that kindness is sparing.’ – HH The Dalai Lama

Hyslop is an 11-year-old girl who arrives in England from Italy with her emotionally distant mother, Vanessa. With no permanent home or suitable parental role models, Hyslop turns to the world of insects.

“Hyslop sometimes longed to be a little ant egg. She would close her eyes and think of how it would feel to be in a dark, secret place, guarded by a delicate eggshell.”

After flitting from one ghastly rich “uncle” to another, Hyslop finally finds love and stability from her godmother Sandy and an eccentric old man, Sir Northcote Hemmings. He teaches her about butterflies and asks her to find him a Camberwell Beauty, a rare beautiful butterfly also known as ‘The Mourning Cloak’. Hyslop is shadowed by a lonely local boy, Zak, who is bullied both at home and at school, and his fascination with her reflects the way her glamorous mother charms everyone with her beauty. As flighty Vanessa’s powers start waning, Hyslop is just beginning to find her wings. Will Hyslop find her ideal habitat in the end?

“My inspiration for this book was definitely my love of British butterflies. It began with light-hearted entertainment for local friends (one of whom is currently Chair of Butterfly Conservation). With their encouragement I continued writing and developed a story line for my characters which is gripping and haunting in its own right,” says author Kathleen Nelson on her reasons for writing the book.