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theputridshelf 's review for:
The Butterfly Garden
by Dot Hutchison
I have had The Butterfly Garden on my TBR for the longest time, probably as long as it’s release date (I know, I know!) I now feel quite sad that I left it that long as it was a book that fell into my disturbing books reading era. I do recommend it, if you want to dip your toe into darker books and aren’t entirely sure where to start.
Dot Hutchison has created a dark masterpiece. Threads of unease, backstories that make you feel physically sick and a relentless sense of worry takes root in the reader, that doesn’t relent, if anything it heightens as the story progresses. A book that is so well written, you find yourself having feelings of something akin to sympathy to the antagonist – The Gardener.
The plot of the book involves a bunch of teenage girls being held hostage and living in The Gardener’s Garden. He tattoos butterfly wings on the girl’s back and gives them new names. Although the actions of the man are shocking, there is something almost gentle about him. I felt extremely frustrated at my internal monologue. How could I feel sorry for someone that perpetuates such violence upon them.
The girls experience depraved horrors while under the care of The Gardner and his extremely sadistic firstborn son, Avery. Rape, physical and mental abuse and gas lighting are daily rituals that are perpetuated upon all the girls. When their time is up, they are put in glass coffins, and preserved in resin. I don’t know what I was expecting the end game to be for the girls, but it wasn’t that.
Dot Hutchison has weaved a story so deliciously dark and yet it is a tale that always has a sense of realism running through it. I truly believe that there are people out there like this, and that’s the real horror of the story. Cleverly written-first person POV chapters of the main character Maya who is experiencing the horrors as a captive of The Gardner and third person POV of Maya being interviewed by the FBI, after escaping.
Overall, a read that is hypnotically dark and a great entry point into disturbing reads. A horror story that examines the depravity of human nature and why deep down, there is no rhyme nor reason why some sick individuals do what they do.
Dot Hutchison has created a dark masterpiece. Threads of unease, backstories that make you feel physically sick and a relentless sense of worry takes root in the reader, that doesn’t relent, if anything it heightens as the story progresses. A book that is so well written, you find yourself having feelings of something akin to sympathy to the antagonist – The Gardener.
The plot of the book involves a bunch of teenage girls being held hostage and living in The Gardener’s Garden. He tattoos butterfly wings on the girl’s back and gives them new names. Although the actions of the man are shocking, there is something almost gentle about him. I felt extremely frustrated at my internal monologue. How could I feel sorry for someone that perpetuates such violence upon them.
The girls experience depraved horrors while under the care of The Gardner and his extremely sadistic firstborn son, Avery. Rape, physical and mental abuse and gas lighting are daily rituals that are perpetuated upon all the girls. When their time is up, they are put in glass coffins, and preserved in resin. I don’t know what I was expecting the end game to be for the girls, but it wasn’t that.
Dot Hutchison has weaved a story so deliciously dark and yet it is a tale that always has a sense of realism running through it. I truly believe that there are people out there like this, and that’s the real horror of the story. Cleverly written-first person POV chapters of the main character Maya who is experiencing the horrors as a captive of The Gardner and third person POV of Maya being interviewed by the FBI, after escaping.
Overall, a read that is hypnotically dark and a great entry point into disturbing reads. A horror story that examines the depravity of human nature and why deep down, there is no rhyme nor reason why some sick individuals do what they do.