The Butterfly House by Katrine Engberg
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Format: Paperback, Print
Pages: 344
Start Date: January 10th, 2023
End Date: January 14th, 2023
My Ratings
Overall: ★★★
Character Development: ★★★
Ending: ★★★★
Suspense Level: 🔪🔪🔪🔪
Tear Jerk-ability: 💧
Readability: Easy, Quick Read
Potential Triggers: Mental Illness, Suicide
Summary In My Words
Follow Jeppe on his quest to find a murder, Anette on her journey to discovering what her jump into motherhood means to her, & other characters lives & their meaning . . . Including a killer. Full of twists & turns, you'll think you've got it all figured out, but there is always more. This book starts near the end & comes back around to complete the stories circle.
My Thoughts - Contains Spoilers, Continue at Your Own Risk
Holy Moly did I struggle getting started with this one. The first few chapters had so much going on that I had to get pen & paper to take notes. Not a good first impression for me, but I'm determined to get through it because the summary sounds like something I'd enjoy!
This story takes place in Denmark - so obviously the names places are in Danish. I'm glad that the names of locations weren't too terribly important because not only could I not pronounce them without help from my friend Google Translate, I had a hard time remembering them (but boy did I try).
It started picking up for me around Chapter 5. I think it was were Anette really got raw with her experience with motherhood & I felt that. Her longing to get back to work to feel "like herself" to her realization that she wasn't the same person is just so relatable - details missed or glazed over in a lot of the parenting books.
There were SO many details & a lot going on - I found myself having to go back & re-read things to make sure I wasn't mixed up. I think it was an interesting way to introduce new details while also distracting the reader, making the "who done it" a little less predictable. They give you just enough to think "yeah, that's the bad guy" for multiple characters & then switch it up on you.
Honestly, if you have the patience to stick it out - I think it's a good book. You just don't know that until it's over.
I'm Curious
Did you find yourself guessing who the killer was over & over or were you right with your first guess?
What do you think of Anette's behavior? Were you screaming at the pages "YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST STAYED HOME" like I was when she got caught up her in tragic & terrifying situation? If you're a parent, do you relate to her delayed connection to her child - did you find the adjustment to parenthood as difficult as Anette did?
Each character seemed to be connected in some way, even if not directly. Do you think the author did this to really lay the ground work for the "butterfly effect" theory?
Do you think Peter Demant's intent was pure? Do you think he truly thought he was making a difference for these teens with his testing & his unorthodox methods?
What are your thoughts on the "Butterfly Theory" (the flap of a wing can cause a tsunami on the opposite side of the world? Do you believe that an action made can have essentially a domino effect, that our actions have consequences that extend beyond just us in our current moment?
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