Product Description

It is 1903 when Thomas Edgar says goodbye to his young wife Sophie and embarks on a journey to the Amazon, where he dreams of finding a mythical butterfly that will make both his name and his fortune. His dreams change, however, soon after his arrival in Brazil . . .

Months later, Thomas arrives home, thin, sick and, worst of all, unable – or unwilling – to speak. Frustrated by his silence, Sophie takes increasingly drastic measures to uncover the truth about what happened to her husband while he was away. But as she sorts through Thomas’s diaries and boxes of exquisite butterflies, it becomes clear that the truth may not be easy to bear.

‘The Sound of Butterflies fuses Edwardian gentility with obsession, murder and a glimpse of the giddy excess of the Brazilian rubber boom . . . Told in prose as opulent as one of Thomas’s specimens, it’s a convincing debut’ Observer

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #191360 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 351 pages

About the Author

Rachael King has worked in radio, television and magazines, and played bass guitar in several bands. The recipient of the 2005/6 Lilian Ida Smith Award, she lives in Wellington, New Zealand. This is her first novel.

Customer Reviews

The good and bad in paradise
I have recently developed a love for butterflies, so felt that this book would be perfect for me. The story is set in the early 1900s, and is about Thomas Edgar, a young man who has an obsession with butterflies. Although he is not a professional collector, he has connections with someone at Kew Gardens, who hears about a scientific expedition to the Amazon. This friend feels that this expedition would give Thomas just the opportunity to make a name for himself, and prove to the world that his interest in butterflies is more than just a passing hobby. Thomas also sees it as a chance to discover a mythic butterfly which no-one else has yet been able to catch. Thomas is consumed with the idea of catching this butterfly and naming it in honour of his wife, Sophie. Yet, when Thomas returns from the jungle, Sophie discovers that her husband has been rendered mute - it seems obvious that something terrible must have happened to him out there, but what?

The story is told both from Thomas's and Sophie's perspective. The chapters alternate from Thomas narrating his journey in the jungle, and the reader being able to read the letters he sends back home to Sophie, and then onto Sophie describing life with her returned husband, as she tries to come to terms with whatever has happened to him. Because the story takes place during the beginning of the 1900s, Sophie also describes how society's reaction to her husband is a constant worry for her, as she desperately tries to keep up appearances.

What I enjoyed about this book is the descriptions of the two different worlds - the wild jungle and the very prim and proper England. Watching as two young, quite inexperienced lovers come to terms with the world and what society expects of them, was interesting and well written.
I also thought that the subplot of Thomas trying to find this mysterious butterfly was excellently done. The passion that he felt for butterflies was well expressed, making the reader almost feel sorry for Sophie as she worried that Thomas loved them more than her.

My only gripe with the novel was that it took a while to draw you in. While it was quite obvious what the undercurrent was, it wasn't until the final 120 pages or so that King began to tie everything up.
Having said that, for a long warm summer evening, sitting in the garden, this book makes a lovely companion.

A powerful tale beautifully told
When Sophie Edgar welcomes her husband Thomas back from an expedition to the Amazon in 1904, she is shocked by the transformation that has come over him. For one thing, Thomas, who appears to be in some kind of catatonic state, steadfastly refuses to say a word to her or anyone else. And then there are the strange welts on his back and the nasty wound on his arm. Whatever Thomas has witnessed or experienced, while engaged in the seemingly innocent activity of collecting butterflies, there's no doubt it has had a devastating effect on him, both body and soul. Here is a man who has been damaged more than injured. In truth, he is no longer the man he was, the man Sophie married. Will she ever get `her Thomas' back? Or must she find a way to love the man he has become?

This beautifully written and gripping historical novel tells its story through the dual points of view of Sophie and Thomas. Sophie's chapters are written in the present tense and describe her efforts to understand what has happened to Thomas, and her struggle to help him and rescue their marriage. The chapters told from Thomas's point of view take us to the inescapable heart of darkness that lies beneath the veneer of civilisation and prosperity. The journey is compelling and vividly evoked.

King creates a wonderfully varied and well delineated cast of characters, including the charismatic and dangerous Santos, the Anglophile rubber baron whose money funds the scientists' expedition. As Thomas's eyes are opened to a series of unpalatable truths, his dream turns sour and his innocence is revealed as naivety. His own guilt and corruption overwhelm him.

The Sound of Butterflies is an extremely accomplished debut, with story, pacing and character development (or rather disintegration) all handled with enviable confidence and judgement. What impresses most, however, is the sheer quality of the writing, which is all the more powerful for its restraint.

Fantastic!
This is a fantastic book! The story is beautifully written and the characters come to life and take you with them on their journey through the rainforest. The book gripped me and I couldn't put it down. You must read it!