Soul of a Butterfly

by Safaa Baig

Sixteen-year old Katie Anderson thinks she is living the perfect teenage life, with a hilarious and fun family, average grades, a subscription to OK! Magazine, exclusive invitations to all the high-end parties and enough popularity at college to make every other girl want to be like her…that is, until her sensational, divorced father makes a decision that changes her life completely; he accepts Islam. Just a week before college is set to re-open, Katie finds her entire world shifting from beneath her. Engulfed with a mixture of confused feelings, a sudden change in lifestyle, and a desire to battle her way back to normalcy, she begins a monumental search for guidance that will change her life forever…

Genres: Fiction, Novels

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2014

Reviews

[Razia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. This book completely surpassed my expectations. It is well written, funny, engaging and is sure to make you cry multiple times throughout. I highly recommend this book to anyone, and it will now proudly sit on my All-Time-favorite books shelf!

Cannot wait to read more from Safaa Baig!

[Hend Hegazi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soul of a Butterfly outlines sixteen year old Katie’s quest to discover her purpose in life. It begins when her father returns from an extended stay in Morocco, and informs her that he has converted to Islam. She feels so betrayed by his conversion that she stops all communication with him for several weeks.

As I read the chapters describing Katie’s struggle with accepting a newly converted father, I wished Baig had painted the struggle in more detail. While the reader was told that Katie felt like her life had been turned upside down and she couldn’t find any sense of peace, I found myself unable to sympathize with her; I did not truly feel like I had a window into her emotions. Many of the times when Katie was crying, I couldn’t really understand why.

The author’s innocence resonates throughout the story; the perfect outcomes to difficult situations are simply unrealistic. The main character seemed to simply snap out of the internal struggle which had her in tears for weeks. Just as quickly as she overcame her hesitancy with Islam, she became interested in learning more about it. It’s true that people undergo changes of mind and heart, but these changes are usually within a span of years, not just a few weeks.

My personal experience living as a young Muslim woman in a country where Islam is not the major religion has shown me that few of my non-Muslim friends have any connection to Islam. In Baig’s novel, however, almost every minor character had a family member who was a convert. This, again, is a very utopian perspective.

When Katie decides to open her mind to Islam, she has a conversation with one of the ‘closet’ Muslims at her school. During this conversation she learns about the proper, acceptable interactions between men and women. Shortly after this conversation—before she even discovers the very basics of what it means to be Muslim—she decides to separate herself from her best friend, who happens to be a male. She hadn’t even fully accepted Islam, and she was already turning away from an Islamically questionable relationship. This was extremely unbelievable; giving up platonic guy/girl friendships is quite possibly one of the most difficult struggles young Muslims face, and here was this girl who was merely learning about Islam, doing it very simply and without any signs of an internal conflict.

Overall, I would rate Soul of a Butterfly 3 stars out of 5. Women twenty years my junior—those closer to the target audience—may appreciate the novel even more. Its language is clear, yet poetic. Baig does a wonderful job of developing each character and giving each character her own distinct voice. The daily dilemmas and conversations between characters are easily heard and true to life. I look forward to reading more from Baig; not only is her being published at such a young age an inspiring accomplishment, but her potential truly shines through in this novel.

[Fatemah Al Awadh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually wanted to give this book 1 star, but then there was this little voice in me going, "Give her a chance. It's her debut novel." But if we wanted to be honest, this book lacks A LOT of aspects of a successful novel...
1. The language: Katie's dad compliments his daughter out of the blue saying, "And from the day you were born I've known your heart" (Baig 142). Whhhhaaat? Really? The phrase doesn't make sense! Your daughter was born and somehow you knew that she held "a sincere and compassionate heart". Too...? There is such a thing as imagery and another as cheesy expressions.

2. Arabian stereotypes interfering with the religion the author is trying to portray:
It's NOT a part of Islam to change your name to an Arabian one. What's wrong with "Katie"? Did she really have to be "Asmara"?... Did EVERYONE who coverted have to change their names to Arabian ones? Well, that's what happened as if it was a step in converting.
And then there's the role marriage is playing in this novel... Katie goes to a muslim party and meets a women who was married at-wait for it- 18. Yes, 18. So after Katie learns more about Islam and decides to get married, she decides to do so at 19. News flash: Getting married at a young age isn't a characteristic of a muslim; it's a characteristic of an Arab in the 60s and frankly, was a sexist one to say the least. Women were limited in their decisions, education and yes, were married at young ages... Katie's older brother Mark (who is not a muslim by the way) is excited to be attending Oxford, while the girl of the family is engaged at 17...Wait but it says she's 16 on the back of the book... Wait what's that on the back of the book "popularity at college.." How old is this girl?! It kind of looks like the lack of organized thoughts...
3. Lack of realism: Perfection, perfection, perfection... Katie likes Jeff, converts, and her life works out, because the boy of her dreams converts and aww they're getting married ....? Now if this book was paranormal or something that wasn't striving to clarify a religion, that would've been slightly more believable but it isn't.
Katie's character as a whole is hyperbolic. No one spends time at a party (like she's done her whole life) and then suddenly realizes that she needs direction, a purpose...
Reality-check please.
I didn't like it.
By the way, I'm a muslim myself and although this book highlighted the role of family and the envelopment of serenity (which is sweet), there was a lot of exaggeration in portraying the religion.

[Sächsische · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovely story.it made me want to convert yet again.i cant believe the author is so young.amazing.mashallah

[Huda Al-Anbar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soul of a Butterfly is the debut novel of Safaa Baig, she completed it at the young age of 17.I encourage young Muslim authors the get their words out there, I like to read what they have to say regardless of the topic.

The story is about Katie Anderson, a young 16-year-old British girl. She has a seemingly perfect teenage life, until her father returns from an extended job trip a Muslim. She feels that her social status at school will be jeopardized, her friends will abandon her, basically she feels as if her entire life will crumble. Then slowly she starts reading about and embracing Islam.

The writing was beautiful, the chemistry between the characters was good. The explanations of Islam were simple and easy to understand.

Katie's "perfect" life was too perfect for my taste, her father is a top architect at a top firm, her mother is a top hair stylist at one of the top salons in London. Her high-school serves lobster for lunch!!!They even have a top chef of their own!The fact that her parents are divorced and have a friendly demeanor towards each other does not help things. She needed some vulnerability to make her believable, and more appealing to the reader.

I did not sympathize with Katie, when she cried, I honestly had no idea why, no explanation was given. Her character lacked the depth that is required for the topic. When she started reading about Islam, I did not get her reasons, was it that Islam answered her questions about god? was it because she found the Quran answered the questions she didn't even know she had? when she finally became Muslim, I honestly wanted to shake her and ask if she was sure, or is she is just bored and wanted to shake things up.

The book was good in general, It should be marketed as YA Islamic novel, young muslims would enjoy Katie's story. The simplicity and innocence of the writing would appeal to them. Safaa Baig had a good debut with Soul of a butterfly, I would definitely read more books by her. I just wish that her characters become more relatable.

[Abeer Ishtiaq · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started reading this book I was totally put off and picking apart the inaccuracies. It had been set in London yet I could not relate to Katie, this teen being described as someone who grew up in my hometown. The protagonist of this tale was both irritating and immature - yet I was compelled to continue and thought perhaps as a 35 year old reader I had just picked up a book more suited for my daughter. I'm so glad I continued, before I knew it I was gripped. Baigs character development and ability to transfer your thoughts to that of the various characters including a teenagers again (who turns out to be extremely mature) and convert you from a pessimist to an open minded optimist - its magical.
Having the knowledge that the author published this book at the mere age of 17 astounds me - a very gifted writer and definite recommended read. For my children, friends and anyone interested in getting into a teenagers head - popularity and acceptance are thoughts that consume our young peoples minds and this book allows muslims to put themselves in the shoes of non muslims, and as a non muslim you can suddenly gain real insight into the beliefs and teachings of Islam.
Well done Baig, BarakAllah fee, truly looking forward to the next one.

[Sophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tbh this read like a propaganda piece for converting to Islam. And while there’s nothing wrong with changing your religion the book made it look too easy - maybe it is - it was so weird that she converted, 3 days later decided to wear the hijab and found out that her best friend is now also a Muslim, one week later changed her name and 3 weeks later is engaged to said best friend? What??

[Write Everything · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very much inspiring. This book is an outline to frame your life to lead towards a successful path. I strongly recommend everyone to read it, especially to those who feel discouraged in life. A must-read book. Enjoy reading it and relate it to your life.

[Raheemah Odusote · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It gave me the tingles. 😍🥰 I especially love how Katie and Jeff finally got engaged. I wish the book didn't finish. I'm a romantic at her. Haaaa...Sigh.. What a beautiful story of reversion.

[Book Lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I looooove this book! Words can literally not describe how this book made me feel.

[Yaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

its so good , such an adorable book about a girl finding her way in life , it really portrays how consufed one can be as a teen and how fruitless they may feel .

[Nicole Hunter-Mostafa · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am so torn about this book. on one hand, i loved it. couldn't put it down. safaa has a real gift for crafting relatable characters (even when they're going on shopping sprees that i could never even dream of!) that i can see in my mind as i read. i especially loved the memory sequences in which katie recalls important events in her life; they were so evocatively written. the cafeteria scene at the end of the book was especially lovely; i had a tear in my eye by the time i finished reading it.

all that being said, i do have a few issues with the book.

1. it needs to be copy edited. like, really, really badly. every book needs a serious copy editing before it goes to print, and i feel like this one fell through the cracks somehow. grammatical errors abound, and it was a distraction for me as i read. i wanted to get out a red pen and start marking up my copy!

2. it bothered me that one of the primary catalysts of katie's eventual conversion was a passage in the qur'an which made her sob out of fear of the hellfire. i don't want anyone to be scared into a religion, even if it is mine.

3. why do all the characters who convert (or "revert," as you prefer) change their names? there is no name-changing requirement in islam (the only guideline for islamic names is that they must have a nice meaning), but you'd never know it by reading this book. every single one of the converted characters has a "muslim" name, even though there's no reason for any of them to change their given names. but the book makes it seem like changing one's name is a necessary part of embracing islam. it isn't.

4. i've been exploring islamic novels for a few months now, and i'm already tired of the inevitable ending--the love interest converts to islam.

5. i kind of wish the entire epilogue of this book didn't exist. when i read that katie and jeff were planning to marry, i just wanted to be like, "whoa, hold up, kids. you're kids. you don't have to get married at 18 because you're muslim."

in summary, even though i enjoyed this book very much, it's not one i would immediately recommend to non-muslims in order for them to get a feel for my religion and why someone might choose it. i'm afraid it would catalyze more questions than it would answer--"what is your muslim name and why don't you use it?" "do you want your daughter to get married at 18?"--and i feel that the repeated references to islam as "the truth" would be off-putting to many who don't share that conviction. still, i can't wait to get my hands on whatever else safaa writes, especially as she matures as a writer. she has a gift, mashallah!

[Zoha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond awesome! This book is so good and lovely. The last 3 chapters and the epilogue made me cry in awe.

[Madiyah]

LOVVVVEE THIS BOOK!
Written by most favourite friend and author. ;)

[Umm Saud · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of a revert. a teenager and her journey in finding the purpose of the life.