The Butterfly Garden (The Collector, 1)

Overall thoughtsThe Butterfly Garden blew my mind, and it definitely left me wanting more. The combination of such a gripping and intriguing premise, profound and memorable characters and a fantastic use of language has caused this novel to become one of my favorite reads of the year, and one of my favorite mystery & thriller books. While there are some things that I dislike, such as the somewhat lackluster ending, as a whole, the book was nothing short of absolutely amazing. However, I understand that it won’t be for everyone and that many will turn away from the book, be it because of the plot or the brutality of some of the themes. For those that decide to read this, it will probably become a fast-paced and enjoyable ride that will prove itself hard to put down. In this case, the rating that I would give this book would be a solid 5 out of 5 without any hesitation. For a more detailed account of my thoughts, please read below, though there might be some minor spoilers (and I would most definitely recommend reading this book without not knowing much about it).Plot & ThemesThis book revolves around a very unique, dark and disturbing premise. A girl, known for the most part as Maya, recounts the tale of how she got herself kidnapped and woke up to what she, and others, referred to as the Garden, which is run by the Gardener, though his sons are also present at different points in the story. While the story starts with Maya being interrogated by a pair of FBI agents who are trying to find out more about the Garden, we are quickly exposed to the actual events that took place in this location.Despite being kidnapped by a male figure, Maya found herself being awoken by another young girl. This girl is later revealed also to have been kidnapped, and she’s not the only one. Little by little, we are exposed to the practices that take place in this garden. For starters, every girl is tattooed with a different butterfly on her back. Until then, the girls are mostly kept in isolation from the rest of the victims. As she starts being acclimated to the conditions of the Garden and as she gets her own tattoo, Maya starts discovering some harsh realities of her new existence. The harshest of all, perhaps, is that all of these girls are trapped in a dome.These girls are free to roam the Garden, though they do follow some strict schedules and rules. For example, they need to eat at certain times of the day, and they are only allowed to have select snacks and drinks outside of the designated meals. Furthermore, if any girl isn’t eating, for whatever reason, then they get a visit from the lunch lady, who also happens to be the nurse. This, however, doesn’t even begin to cover the realities that these girls face.As soon as the girls get their own tattoos, they are raped for the first time by the Gardener. This is, sadly, not the only time that this occurs. In fact, this is a very common occurrence, with the Gardener visiting these girls quite often. The Gardener is not the only person to take part in these activities either, as oldest son also does this. This son in particular though tends to be more brutal with these girls. While the Gardener seems to have some level of affection and seems to care about these girls to some degree, these sentiments are not shared by his son. His son, in fact, tortures and sodomizes the girls through some very sadistic behavior. He even ends up killing some by accident, which leads to another important of the book: death.Death is an important aspect of the novel. It is a reality that the girls have learned to accept and something that they are surrounded by and reminded of daily. This can be explained thanks to the deranged reasoning that the Gardener provides in order to have his butterfly garden. It is revealed throughout the book that the Gardener’s father used to have a collection of butterflies, which he eventually lost in an accident. Following his father’s footsteps, the Gardener decides to have his own collection, though in a much more disturbing way: by collecting girls with butterfly tattoos on their backs. Due to the relatively short lifespan of butterflies, the Gardener attempts to recreate this phenomenon on his own collection. The way he does this is by injecting them with formaldehyde, and later preserving their bodies on glass displays. These young, preserved girls are kept in the halls of the Garden, next to where the current residents sleep, hence the constant presence of death in the novel.Another incredibly strong aspect of the book is the characters themselves. The characters in the novel are extremely complex and have their own personality traits. These characters are presented in a way that it is easy to distinguish between them, due to their mannerism and behavior, and in a very convincing manner. The interactions between them also present some very memorable, enjoyable, and emotional moments. The girls throughout the story go through different events, from periods of celebration and happiness to mourning and despair. Even those characters that could be labeled as the villains have their own depth. In my opinion, these characters have certain traits and characteristics that make them easier to remember and to distinguish from past characters in similar genres.Narration & use of languageThe narration shifts throughout the book. The scenes where Maya is being interrogated are narrated from a third person perspective, while the events of the Garden are told in the first person. The interplay between both narrative styles is easy to follow and suits the story well. The language used throughout the book is phenomenal. The author has managed to write the novel in such a way that it hooks the reader, despite how messed up and disturbing some of the things are. The descriptions also make the book very vivid. Lastly, the language flows very well and is incredibly easy to follow, causing it to be a fantastic page turner.Recommendations for further readingI’d recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a solid thriller or, to some extent, a horror novel. I’d also recommend it to those that are looking for either something dark, memorable, or original. Due to the originality, there is very few books that I’d recommend that could capture the same amount of emotions, details, and creativity as The Butterfly Garden does. In the mystery and thriller area, I’d recommend Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson. Leaning more towards horror, I’d recommend A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay. Lastly, for those that want something between horror and thriller, I’d recommend Bird Box by Josh Malerman.Thanks for reading my review, and I hope that those of you that decide to read this book enjoy it. Happy reading!

This is a great read for those who like crime/thriller stories. It is told in dual narration during an FBI interrogation, and the details unravel over time, taking some twists and turns along the say. Inara, the FMC, has become strong, independent, and wary as a means of surviving being abandoned and ignored from a very young age. Her account of the butterfly garden and the dreadful things that happened there is gripping.The good cop/bad cop pair of FBI agents work as proper foils to each other and to Inara to coax out the horrific tale, bringing a much needed sense of reason, balance, and even relief. One of the most important aspects of this book are the villians. It would be easy to write characters that can be simply labled evil or psychotic (and one of the bad guys fits this bill). However, with the gardener and with his youngest son, Hutchison creates complex and nuanced men capable of depravity, horror, and self-delusion, along with their own twisted kinds of kindness and "love."In the end, it is rewarding to see Inara learn to create her own family and to both give and receive live and care.Make no mistake - this story is brutal and heartbreaking, but it is very much worth the read.

Such a good book. A really messed up, great book. Writing style is unique and can, at times, be a bit hard to follow. But this book had me thinking deeply, crying, laughing, and telling my friends to read it. Highly recommend.

This review does not contain spoilers, however, I do discuss points included in Amazon's summary description; if you consider those spoilers, avoid this review. :)I read this as my Kindle First selection for May.The novel contains violence, profanity, sexual violence against minors, pedophilia, and rape (both of minors and adults). The majority of this type of content is non-graphic, but it is very prevalent (rape is often referred to, but is rarely shown 'on-screen.') Given what the story is, none of the content felt gratuitous. but for those who are triggered by it, or prefer stories without it, avoiding this story might be advisable.-o-'The Butterfly Garden' is told in alternating first and third-person-limited perspectives: the main character relates her story to FBI agents following her rescue from the Garden. I have mixed feelings about this approach. When used by experienced writers (Rothfuss' 'Name of the Wind' is a good example), a nested story can be very effective. Unfortunately, in 'The Butterfly Garden's' case it ruins much of the suspense: the audience knows the protagonist escapes. From Amazon's summary/blurb, we know most of the other details of what she endured during her captivity. There is little left to surprise us. I found the sections containing the protagonist's backstory to be somewhat needless, and a little long in exposition.The writer's style is competent and accessible, making for a quick read. Not too many clunky sentences, although the dialogue (especially at the beginning) isn't natural. I found the first-person much smoother than the third-person; perhaps if the entire novel were told linearly in first-person, I would have enjoyed it more. The style is engaging enough that I would likely read another of this author's stories to see her improve.The protagonist was somewhat unbelievable, as I found her vocabulary, mannerisms, emotional maturity, and so on to be that of an adult. It takes a lot of suspension of disbelief for me to buy that a child who had her background, also had that level of polish. This seems to be more of a YA trope, and I was surprised to see it in an adult thriller novel. (Her knowledge of classic literature is an example of this, and an author making a heroine just a little too cool.) The side characters were underdeveloped in the third-person sections, although in the first-person bits were better.While on the subject of suspension of disbelief...I don't expect present-day thrillers to require the level of suspension this one does. It was hard to believe in the setting, both that it could exist (how do you find contractors to build this sort of thing?) and that it was never discovered. Maybe in a futuristic science fiction novel, where things can be a bit surreal this Garden would have been more believable. Your mileage may vary, of course.The pacing was just 'okay' for me. The third person portions tended to exposition, which made those times in the story feel like they moved more slowly.The 'twist' at the ending was unnecessary, without adequate foreshadowing to make it satisfying for the reader.Bottom line? No two ways about it,this book was weird for me. I can't say I 'liked' it, but I didn't dislike it, either, despite my criticisms above. If Amazon allowed half-stars, I would give it 3.5 stars, and I would likely read another of this author's future novels.

The Butterfly Garden is a truly captivating read. While it’s not an easy story to digest due to its dark themes, the writing draws you in completely. Each page keeps you hooked, making it hard to put down.

Truly a sickening but addictive read. Beautifully written. I would highly recommend to everyone to read this book. Beautifully twisted

Listened this as an audiobook and thought it was so good that I bought the physical copy. It has a lot of twists and turns. The writer will make you imagine what the world the girls live in looks like. Its haunting but beautiful. Highly recommend.

First of all, definitely consult trigger warnings before reading this book. It’s dark and is definitely not for the faint of heart but it was impossible to put down for me.

This book did everything absolutely right: it managed to have lots of interesting characters without being confusing; fantastic creative plot; breathtaking ending.This is the story of a beautiful garden, where the Gardener is the ruler and collects butterflies. The problem is that his butterflies are actually kidnapped teenage girls, who get very detailed wing tattoos. The book starts with Maya, one of the butterflies, telling the FBI about her time in the Garden and the mystery lies in how everybody managed to escape.I just couldn't believe how perfect this book was. The story was so disturbing, but told in such a delicate way that it matched the setting perfectly. The Gardener is now my favorite villain: he created a metaphor that he believe in so thoroughly that he thought he was doing the right thing. Also, I highlighted a lot, because there were so many enchanting quotes.I can't recommend this book enough, it really managed to blow me away.