TRIGGER WARNING: Rape, Sexual Assault, Child Abduction, Abuse.

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Some people collect stamps and coins, he collected girls. They were his beautiful butterflies.

 

I am giving The Butterfly Garden 3 Stars.  

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There is a quote that I was reminded of whilst reading this novel, it is from the poet Thomas Nashe:

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‘Beauty is but a flower

Which wrinkles will devour.’[1]

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This novel combines beauty with brutality in a thrilling story that keeps you hooked. It entraps, asking you to dive deeper until you can no longer see the surface. There is a strange sense of allurement within this novel, as the writing sends you down the rabbit hole; one moment you are reading about the bonds the girls make, and the next you are reading about something sinister happening to one of the characters. There is a clear display of how harsh reality is. The world can be an ugly place and this book does not shy away from showing this.

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The narration is executed almost perfectly and is told from one of the girls (Or butterfly’s) point of view as she is interrogated by FBI agents. There is a blur between the truth and how much Maya is hiding, and this is slowly broken down as the story progresses. There is a real sense of sorrow and heartache felt by the reader for the characters as Maya recounts the events in the garden.

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Hutchison has fleshed out the characters in great depth. A great example is through The Gardner’s motives and the relationship between the butterflies and their captor. As the book progresses we begin to see the reason behind the capturing: The Gardner believes that he is preserving and helping the butterflies. These are the moments where you feel as though The Gardener genuinely cares for the girls; these were the moments that were the most interesting to read as you could see the complexity of the character on the page.

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The Gardener’s character arc reminded me of the urban legend Elisa Day, a girl who was murdered because ‘all beauty must die’. Both of the murderers in these stories see justice in their actions. They are doing what they think is right by claiming the beauty for themselves, to protect it and preserve it. Morality is something I would have liked to seen explored more in these instances. I would have liked to see the characters struggle more and coming to terms with what was happening.

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Reading this book was like being a fish, I was following the bait which lingered on the hook and I followed it blindingly. I wanted to know where the story was going and each chapter left an imprint that lasted with me long after I’d finished.

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However, some parts of this novel did not connect with me as much as I would have liked them to. First, the ending! This novel was building the tension with every page and unfortunately the last chapters did not live up to the hype. The story, to me, was left feeling lacklustre. I was confused, annoyed and disappointed with the way the novel ended. I respect the author’s decision on how they wanted to end the story, but it just didn’t flow with me personally, I have read a few reviews and I feel like I’m not alone in this opinion.

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The descriptions that are filtered throughout the novel about the garden were blurry. I was unable to imagine how the garden looked. As the garden is described you are able to see the outside world from the ceiling that is lined with glass. Inside the garden there are: separate rooms for the girls, bathroom facilities, a kitchen/dining area, a waterfall, and walls which are controlled automatically. These walls are put up when one of the butterflies is taken away. The absence of description left the setting unimaginable – this took away from the fear, and the suspense was no longer plausible. I would have enjoyed more detail added to the setting as it would have added danger. If this story had been taken place in a closed-off environment it would have been more claustrophobic. The description would have made it feel real; like the events were actually happening. I would have felt more urgency for the characters and cared more for them.

Everything with the story just felt convenient. There is this giant garden that nobody asks questions about. It is said within the story that maintenance has been done and there are times when people are there to fix things. It was frustrating how little curiosity people had! No one seemed to ask about anything.

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I enjoyed reading this novel. It was creepy, thrilling and mysterious. It blended themes of beauty and brutality and captivated what I enjoyed about Elisa Day and told it on a larger scale. However, I’m giving it three stars due to the impracticality of the garden, and the unrealistic plot.

 

 

[1] Nashe, Thomas. (1593) A Litany In Time of Plague

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