The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree

By: India Hayford

Narrated by: Matt Godfrey, Laura Jennings, Zura Johnson

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

Fans of Delia Owens, Barbara Kingsolver, Kelly Mustian, and Quinn Connor will be captivated by this haunting Southern debut about found family, folk magic, the long shadow of trauma, the salvation of human connection, and the transcendent beauty of nature.

Genevieve Charbonneau talks to ghosts and has a special relationship with rattlesnakes. In her travels, she’s wandered throughout the South, escaping a mental hospital in Alabama, working for a Louisiana circus, and dancing at a hoochy-kootch in Texas. Now for the first time in a decade, she’s allowed her winding path to bring her to the site of her grandmother’s Arkansas farmhouse, a place hallowed in her memory.

She intends only to visit briefly—to pay respects to her buried loved ones and leave. But a chance meeting with a haunted young Vietnam vet reconnects her with the remnants of a family she thought long gone, and their union becomes a catalyst for change and salvation. An abused woman and her daughters develop the courage to fight back, a ghost finds the path away from life, and a sanctimonious predator becomes the prey. In the process, Genevieve must choose between her longing for meaningful connection after years as an outsider and her equally excruciating impulse to run.

Written by a naturalist and set on the land where her family roots stretch back two centuries, The Song of the Blue Bottle Tree is a haunting story about letting go and the things we leave behind, the power of names, and the ties that bind. It is both harrowing and triumphant, a visceral Southern debut as otherworldly and beautiful as it is unflinching and wry.

*A Publishers Marketplace BUZZ BOOKS Selection*

"Set in rural Arkansas in 1967, India Hayford's evocative and beautifully crafted tale is infused with magical realism and dark humor. This powerful narrative of belonging and the unexpected gifts and challenges of finding one’s place in the world is a mesmerizing read that will leave you pondering the interplay of fate and free will. It's a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring quest for home."—Susan Wiggs, # 1 New York Times bestselling author

©2025 India S.C. Hayford (P)2025 Recorded Books

The secrets hid in family history

I liked the story , but lost tract of who story was being told . I didn’t understand how the pastors horrible deeds were not detected.

Outstanding

This book had me hooked from the very beginning! It’s heartbreaking and beautiful! Definitely a top 5 reads for the year!

Wonderful story of overcoming so much

Loved this book. Would have loved for the 1 character I won’t give it away, to get help and maybe have a change of heart. Loved the story.

A Nice Blend Southern Superstitions and Historical Fiction

I enjoyed the lyrical southern voices throughout the story. Being raised during the 60s and 70s in the rural south I was very familiar with the superstitions and hellfire preachers who rarely practiced what they preached and abused their authority. In spite of the abuse the female characters had endured they held on to their dreams.
The main character was a survivor and a fighter and I loved her portrayal. I hardly put down this book after I began listening and highly recommend it.

Behind closed doors

It was an incredible book. It was uncomfortable at times, I wasn’t ready for some of the topics it discussed but realize that it happened a lot in that time and still does. It was presented in such a raw and yet not overly graphic way that the uncomfortable parts were tolerable. It was a tragic but beautiful story.