Book Review: The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson

Title: The Butterfly Garden
Author: Dot Hutchinson
Published: 1st June 2016
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

This book was the epitome of addictive, when I say I could not put this book down, I literally mean I couldn't. I had to keep reading.

The Butterfly garden is a thriller, but perhaps not quite the one you would expect, this is the harrowing story of the Gardener and his 'butterflies', the girls he kidnaps. 

We start in the aftermath of the escape and the author drip feeds you parts of the story to how Maya came to escape. However there are things about Maya that the FBI can't fathom, what exactly is she hiding and what exactly is her involvement in all of this.

I don't think I will be able to think about butterflies in the same way again after reading this. It was pretty horrifying but I was just morbidly fascinated with what the Gardener was doing and the fates of all the girls. Initially I was unsure of how the story would pan out as we know that the girls escape at the beginning and find out pretty early on what happens to the girls when they are first kidnapped, but there are so many unexpected developments that I ended up reading at a feverish pace. Be prepared to be made uncomfortable, as this is a disturbing read, but one that will grip you and get you addicted to the story very early on. 

The only criticism I have is that I wish the ending had had a little more explanation and I would have liked a little more of a solid conclusion. Apart from that though, this was a really unique thriller that literally gets you turning the pages. A psychological thriller at its best.

There is SO much I want to say about this book, but I think it's one that you just need to go ahead and read. Definitely one my favourite thrillers this year.

        

The Butterfly Garden is out now