The Knife and the Butterfly
LC Class | PZ7.P4255 | |
The Knife and the Butterfly is a
Plot
The novel, set in
Characters
- Martín "Azael" Arevalo – A member of MS-13, Azael has no parents in the U.S. since his mother Rosa died after giving birth to his little sister, and his father Manuel was deported to El Salvador.
- Alexis "Lexi" Allen – A white girl who lives in Montrose and is a student at Lamar High School
- Gabe – Azael's case worker tells the boy that he must accomplish something through observing Lexi and that Azael does not have much time to do so[4]
- Eduardo "Eddie" Arevalo – Azael's brother
- Regina Arevalo – Azael's sister
- Pelón and Javi are Azael's friends
- Beto – Azael's uncle
- Becca – Azael's girlfriend
- Kraus stated that Azael has difficulty in committing to his relationship to her and that his attempts to stop being a criminal revolve around her.[3]
- Janet – Lexi's counselor
- Shauna – Lexi's mother. Lexi usually calls her by her given name
- Meemaw – Lexi's grandmother, a member of the Pentacostal Way Living Water Church
- Lucas VanVeldt – Lexi's defense attorney
- Theo – Lexi's dog
Background
This novel was based on the 2006 death of Gabriel Granillo.[5] The title originates from the Houston Chronicle series The Butterfly and the Knife, which chronicled the real life case. Pérez switched the order of the words "Knife" and "Butterfly" in order to attract male readers. Copyrights do not extend to titles, so Pérez was able to use the Chronicle title.[6]
Pérez, a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and a teacher at Chávez High School in Houston,[6] researched MS-13 and Houston's Salvadoran community. One aspect in the novel is the differing use of Spanish. The younger Salvadoran Americans have influence from other Spanish dialects while the older ones have signature elements of Salvadoran Spanish such as the use of "vos".[7]
Reception
Teri Hennessy of
Kirkus Reviews stated that a Spanish glossary would have been good for the book, but ultimately it is "An unflinching portrait with an ending that begs for another reading."[1] It stated "The author demonstrates why gangs appeal to many teens with family problems without glorifying the violence that often accompanies their activities."[1] Pérez stated, "Above all, I wanted to show Azael and Lexi's world as much more than just a patchwork of crime and violence."[7] She also stated that she wanted to show "these two teens' vulnerability and their potential for redemption" in addition to the "danger of poor choices" and the "real threat of their circumstances".[9] Kirkus Reviews stated that Azael and Lexi are both "nuanced" even though they "could have easily become caricatures."[1]
Juan Castillo of NBC News wrote that this book and another one of Pérez's novels, What Can't Wait, explore what it means to grow up as a Hispanic or Latino teenager in the United States "amid difficult circumstances."[10]
Jesse Gray wrote in
Kraus stated that even though the plot would be predictable to an experienced reader, he still gave a positive review and argued the predictability is a "minor issue", concluding that the work is "An uncompromising look at two characters most readers would otherwise look away from."[3]
See also
- History of the Central Americans in Houston
Other novels by Pérez:
- What Can't Wait – set in Houston
- Out of Darkness
References
- Pérez, Ashley Hope. The Knife and the Butterfly. ISBN 1467716243, 9781467716246.
Notes
- ^ a b c d e "THE KNIFE AND THE BUTTERFLY" (Archive). Kirkus Reviews. January 1, 2012. Posted online December 14, 2011. Retrieved on November 6, 2015.
- ^ a b Hennessy, Teri. "The Knife and the Butterfly" (Young adult review)(Brief article)(Book review). Library Media Connection, May–June, 2012, Vol.30(6), p.69(1).
- ^ a b c d Kraus, D. (2012-02-01). "The Knife and the Butterfly". Booklist. 108 (11): 89 – via Gale.
Any reader who has been around the block[...]
- ^ The ALAN Review, Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English (available at Virginia Tech). Volume 40, Number 1, Fall 2012. Retrieved on November 11, 2015.
- ^ Pérez, p. 205.
- ^ The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved on November 7, 2015.
- ^ a b Pérez, p. 206.
- The Horn Book Guide, Fall, 2012, Vol.23(2), p.110(1).
- ^ Pérez, p. 206-207.
- ^ Castillo, Juan. "Ashley Hope Pérez's 'Out of Darkness': Young Love Amid Racism, Segregation" (Archive). NBC News. September 1, 2015. Retrieved on November 8, 2015.
Further reading
- "The Knife and the Butterfly" (review). Booklist.