The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison- Khadeejah Rasheed

I read The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison. This book is about a girl who was kidnapped and taken to the Garden. The book is told in two perspectives, one from the girl, telling her story, and the other from an FBI agent, Victor Hanoverian who is interrogating her. The Garden is a beautiful place, enclosed and hidden away from the rest of the world. The Gardener is the man who kidnaps girls and tattoos intricate butterflies on their backs. He gives them new names and encourages them to forget their past lives. He calls them his butterflies. The Gardener kidnaps girls around the age of 16, and tattoos them immediately. Once they turn 21 though, he kills them, and puts them in cases of glass and resin to preserve their beauty. There have been almost six generations of butterflies. This book tells the story of a girl the Gardener named Maya. 

Maya had a rough childhood. The last time she cried was when she was six, and her neglectful parents left her at the carousel at a theme park. Then her neighbor had to pick her up, but he demanded a sort of payment for his troubles. Maya was able to get out of that situation though. Maya never had anyone who cared about her, and she never had anyone she cared about. She moved to New York on her own early on in life, and found a nice group of friends who she lived and worked with. But then the Gardener took her.

Maya is a very independent character. She adjusts well to the Garden, doesn’t cry at all, and she puts up with what the Gardener and his son put her through when she has too. But when the Gardener isn’t around, and he isn’t requesting one of the butterflies, the girls are free to do pretty much whatever they want. Maya loves to read. She memorizes Poe’s poems and recites them when she needs a distraction. The Gardener has supplied her with many books. Maya is independent, and she is very straightforward. She is almost like a leader to the rest of the girls, who may not be adjusting as well as Maya has. 

There are around twenty girls in the Garden at once. There are the criers, the suck-ups, and the angry ones. And then there’s Maya, who fits into none of those categories. Although every butterfly is encouraged to forget their past life, none of them really want to, and they all, of course, miss their old lives, and their freedom. All the butterflies have a shared trauma, from getting kidnapped, tattooed, and “claimed” by the Gardener. Everyday in the Garden, Maya meets with the girls in a cave in the Garden, and lets them pour their hearts out to her. She listens to them and lets them cry, almost like a therapy session. Once the Gardener is caught, and they are all brought into the station, the girls all refuse to talk to any of the agents. The rest of the butterflies say they won’t talk to anyone but Maya, so Victor has to start off by questioning her.

Even though Maya wasn’t cared for much as a child, her and the rest of the girls form a close bond. Maya and the others form a sort of community in the Garden as a way to cope. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a sort of thriller novel. This book is really dark, and at times very disturbing. It had an interesting plot, and was captivating. If you like horror novels, you should definitely read this book.