The fall of butterflies

It may offer useful discussion of how wealth, outsider status and friendship shape someone’s sense of home. Willa’s perspective also allows attention to humour, loyalty and the limits of trying to save another person.

Give particular thought to the treatment of suicidal thoughts and depression, drug use and addiction, and an intense friendship involving self-destructive behaviour. The humour and glamour may sit beside painful or tragic material.

How does Willa understand the difference between caring for Remy and being responsible for Remy? If the story’s ending is painful, what does it suggest can change—and what may remain outside another person’s control?

Consider reading alongside the young person, checking in after passages involving suicidal thoughts, depression or drugs. Discuss the friendship’s boundaries and the contrast between Willa’s humour and the story’s increasingly serious direction.