Ghostbusters and the Butterfly Effect

The book that changed my life

The things that have changed my life the most have always been the smallest: going to a party instead of staying home, hearing an inspiring song on the radio, or, as in the story I will tell, choosing to buy a certain book. They all have the potential to be points of no return.

The so-called butterfly effect is derived from the physics-based theory which suggests that when a butterfly flaps its wings in one part of the world and a storm is caused in another. The smallest events can have bigger consequences than we imagine. My favourite butterfly effect — the reason I study at St Andrews today — will always be discovering the saga of Lockwood & Co by British author Jonathan Stroud.

I still remember the day as though it were yesterday. In December 2017, I was thirteen, and my mum and I had a tradition: every Saturday, we went to the bookstore together. Mum had a sixth sense for knowing what I might like, and that day in the children's section, she handed me The Screaming Staircase, the first book in the Lockwood & Co series. "What do you think of this one?" she asked. Little did she know that moment had just changed my life.

The saga has a fantastic concept: London is overrun by ghosts, and only kids can see and hear them. They are modern-day ghostbusters, risking their lives to fight the infestation. Here comes Lockwood & Co, a tiny ghostbusting agency formed by three unhinged teenagers, always on the verge of bankruptcy, who take us on countless adventures — each scarier and funnier than the last.

I had fallen in love with this story. I devoured the first book and rushed to buy the second — but when I looked for the third, I realised something: it had not been translated. The saga hadn't made an impact in the Italian market, and they had stopped publishing it.

I simply couldn’t not know how it would end. But the problem was I didn't know English. Yes, I had studied a little at school, but I disliked the language, especially after my teacher told my mother, "You see, Carla is just too bad at it." So, I had a tiny vocabulary, even worse pronunciation, and refused to actually put effort into it.

But now I had to know how the story ended, so I bought my first book in English: The Hollow Boy. And, heck, I didn't understand a thing. I still remember those summer days spent with Google Translate in hand, pages scribbled with notes, and the headaches after finishing a single chapter.

But something had clicked. When, after a month, I turned the last page, I knew I had done it. English was no longer an obstacle. I could learn it. I could read whatever I wanted. In fact, I had to learn it: to finish this series and really understand what was going on. I started taking my school’s afternoon English classes, going on study holidays, trying to decipher song lyrics, and, of course, reading. Magically, each book in the series became easier. Once I finished the saga, I never stopped reading in English.

It wasn’t easy. It took years to reach my current level, many tedious tests, and even now, when I open my mouth, everyone can tell I’m Italian. But I don’t mind it. My accent is part of a story I am happy to tell, because in the end, my English teacher was wrong. I was not bad at languages — I just needed the right motivation. Learning English opened doors I hadn’t imagined. 

One day, I told mum, "It would be nice to study in the UK." She smiled: "That sounds like a great idea." And in the end, here I am. Thirteen-year-old me would have had a heart attack.

So, what to take away from this story? A reading tip? I hope so — Jonathan Stroud is a truly deserving author. Inspiration not to give up? Definitely. But, above all, this: sometimes it feels like life doesn’t move, like we are stuck in a routine leading nowhere. We wait for a big event to shake things up. But often, the most significant changes stem from unexpected choices — small moments that only reveal their meanings in hindsight.

Who knows? Maybe your next adventure will also begin with a visit to the bookstore with your mother.

Illustration by Lucy Maitland-Lewis