The Butterfly’s Daughter

13/04/2026
David Ryan
Fiction, Historical Fiction, War / Military

Blurb

Vlinder has a decision to make. Does she surrender her baby to a complete stranger to save its life or face the prospect of the two of them being transported to a Nazi death camp?

In the darkest days of the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam, Vlinder faces an unimaginable choice: surrender her newborn baby to a complete stranger or risk both their lives in a brutal prison camp. What she chooses will ripple through the generations, establishing a legacy of secrets, lies, unspoken grief and lost identities.

Decades after the war, Vlinder’s granddaughter Evangeline’s quest to understand her grandmother’s actions and her family’s painful past reveals that there might be more to this legacy: a story of love and sacrifice, and a truth that has lain buried for over seventy years.

Spanning from the horrors of Auschwitz to the quiet suburbs of Melbourne and the magnificent Scottish Highlands, The Butterfly’s Daughter is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and a confirmation that the echoes of history shape who we are. Asking what it means to truly survive, this family saga will push the limits of hope and fear as it ponders the lengths we are willing to go to for those we cherish.

Author Bio

David Ryan lives by the mantra that you don’t stop learning when you get old; you get old when you stop learning. He originally graduated with honours in Chemical Engineering, for which he received the Shell Prize, before studying a Bachelor of Arts part-time. He then received a Graduate Diploma in Applied Psychology, winning the Shell Prize once again for his work.

Harnessing his tiered education, David embarked on a career where he applied psychology to the technology sector. Working across various companies and institutions, including Shell, Toyota and the Department of Defence, David realised that businesses were failing to capitalise on the potential of their people. This realisation led him to start a highly-successful corporate consulting business for both the public and private sector where he generated organisational change, fostered team-building and enhanced leadership.

In his retirement, David returned once again to university and graduated at 75 with a PhD in Creative Writing. Driven by a fierce love of AFL, his PhD focused on exploring the relationships between football and community in Victoria. David was awarded his PhD titled Be a good Sport by the Vice Chancellor and Chancellor of Deakin University, both dedicated Cats supporters. In 2026, he is releasing two novels, The Surrender and The Medal, in which he explores the depth of the human condition and the simultaneous strength and frailty of human relationships.

David is married to an awarded non-Executive Director, has three awesome children (two of whom are Cats fans!) and four wonderful grandchildren.