Angelita Bradney

Author

Cover to be revealed...

The Butterfly Beats its Wings

coming February 2027

'With rich settings, finely drawn characters and skillful storytelling, this impressive debut is a winner.' Tracy Chevalier, author of The Glass Maker

1972. The Philippines. Teenager Grace is a loving daughter, tending to chores and caring for younger siblings. But when her family becomes caught in a conflict that threatens their place in the village, Grace is forced to make an unspeakable decision.

Fifty years later, in England, her adult daughter Nina has still not moved on from her own troubled youth. From her struggles to fit in to the loss of her best friend, she has spent a decade avoiding her childhood home and the memories that haunt her.

Brought together at a family reunion, Nina sees a chance to reconnect with her mother. But Grace has her own secrets that might stand in the way. Secrets tangled in her heritage that lead back to the witch doctors and headhunting tribes of the Philippines…

A sweeping and intimate story about trust, renewal, and confronting mistakes of the past.

Photo credit: freestocks on Unsplash

Praise for The Butterfly Beats its Wings

'A hauntingly beautiful story of guilt, trust and healing. Angelita Bradney cleverly weaves the folklore of the Philippines with a moving story of a woman uncovering terrible secrets. Gorgeous.' Anna Mazzola, author of The Book of Secrets

'Magical, moving and mysterious - a beautifully written, stunning debut.' Laura Price, author of Single Bald Female

‘A beautifully haunting, deeply evocative story about identity, memory, and the ghosts we carry.’ Freya Sampson, USA Today bestselling author

‘Atmospheric, creepy, heartbreaking and healing. You will not want to put it down.’ Natalie Gregory, author of Mother Ghost Mango Seed

‘An immersive novel that explores how history is always never that far behind us.’ Mahsuda Snaith, author of The Things We Thought We Knew

‘Visceral, tender, and impossible to forget.’ Hannah Tovey, author of Is this It?

‘Compelling, evocative and woven together with breathtaking beauty, this is a richly satisfying story of a mother and daughter and the echoes in their lives, staying true to them through their moments of raw pain, courage and tender reconciliation.’ Alice Burnett, author of Ideal Love

‘Lush and immersive, this debut explores self-identity, cultural complexity and dark secrets, and breaks through to an emotional, joyful redemption.’ Lissa Price, internationally bestselling author of Starters and Enders

Awards

As a work-in-progress, The Butterfly Beats its Wings was shortlisted for the 2024 SI Leeds Literary prize , won the 2022 Byte the Book and Hachette UK bursary for debut authors and placed second in the Writers & Artists Turn the Page competition 2021.

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