The Stars Are a Million Glittering Worlds by Gina Butson

Gina Butson’s debut novel is captivating and will keep you turning the pages! It’s full of intrigue, mystery and emotional depth.

The central character is Thea, a young woman haunted by guilt, who flees to Central America to escape her life in New Zealand. In the Guatemalan backpacker’s haven of San Pedro, she befriends Chris and his partner, Sarah. But everything changes when a tragedy occurs. Thea starts afresh in Hobart, Tasmania, but struggles to manage her grief.

Years later, a new tragedy during the pandemic forces Thea to confront old wounds and the trust she’s placed in her partner. She begins to realise she can no longer outrun her past and slowly unravels her journey towards acceptance.

stands out as an especially memorable character. Her flaws and vulnerability make her relatable. The novel’s relationships are intricately drawn, constantly evolving, and captured with remarkable insight. Gina also explores how grief echoes through time and how the act of coming clean can be both terrifying and necessary for healing. “At the heart of The Stars are a Million Glittering Worlds is the concept of ‘home’; homesickness, homecoming, being at home and away from home, home as a family, a house, a country, the place you’re from and the place you live,” says Gina.

“It’s about how people and culture make a home just as much as a place does.”

“Like the characters in the book, I spent several weeks in the Guatemalan highlands. Shortly after I left, I received news that one of the people who was there at the same time as me had died. That specific tragedy wasn’t my story to tell, but the sadness of it stayed with me all the years since and the ghost of it is definitely haunting The Stars are a Million Glittering Worlds,” says Gina.

Fans of Josie Shapiro’s Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts will find themselves swept away by this hypnotic story. Highly recommended.

Gina Butson is a former lawyer and award-winning writer. She has recently moved back to Auckland after 17 years living in Wellington.

Download book club discussion notes here.

Reviewer: Andrea Molloy

Allen & Unwin