The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree

The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree — A Haunting Southern Debut of Folk Magic, Trauma, and Redemption 

Disguised by a name found on a tombstone and traveling with a haunted Vietnam vet she met in a graveyard, Genevieve Charbonneau, an unconventional young snake-handler who talks to the dead, returns to the ghosts of her childhood home in 1967 Arkansas.

For Fans of Delia Owens, Barbara Kingsolver, and Kim Michele Richardson

This mesmerizing debut explores the tangled bonds of found family, folk magic, and the long shadow of trauma, woven through the transcendent beauty of nature and the healing power of human connection.

What You’ll Discover Inside:

• Genevieve’s journey from mental hospitals, circuses, and Southern dance halls to her grandmother’s Arkansas farmhouse, steeped in memory and mystery.

• A chance encounter with a haunted Vietnam vet that reignites lost family ties and sparks salvation for an abused woman and her daughters.

• A ghost’s path to peace, a predator’s reckoning, and a young woman’s struggle between running from and embracing belonging.

Praise for The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree

“India Hayford’s riveting debut is an exploration of tangled familial bonds, loss, love, and the redemption of fierce womanhood. Captivating storytelling that is utterly unforgettable.”
—Kim Michele Richardson, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

A Story Rooted in the South and the Soul

Written by a naturalist with family roots stretching back two centuries on the land where this story unfolds, The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree is a haunting, beautiful, and unflinching exploration of letting go, the power of names, and the ties that bind us.

Add to cart now to experience this powerful Southern gothic tale of loss, love, and redemption.