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The Butterfly Collector
Restless property developer, Peter Calliet, meets a sullen young woman at a party and an obsession begins that links past and present in a deepening tragedy.
Peter has everything in terms of material success and security. The obligatory fast car, lucrative contracts with his powerfully connected father's property empire and a plush renovated flat. Devoted fiancée, Claudia, expects to move in and marriage is imminent. But Peter has a dark past that taints his movements. Meeting Natalie, a volatile artist with an equally disturbed background, can only lead to more heartache. If Claudia discovers that Peter has been seeing Natalie, her dream world will be destroyed, adding to his burden of guilt. But even that can't stop him. The secure and rewarding life he has worked so hard to achieve begins to unravel.
Peter has everything in terms of material success and security. The obligatory fast car, lucrative contracts with his powerfully connected father's property empire and a plush renovated flat. Devoted fiancée, Claudia, expects to move in and marriage is imminent. But Peter has a dark past that taints his movements. Meeting Natalie, a volatile artist with an equally disturbed background, can only lead to more heartache. If Claudia discovers that Peter has been seeing Natalie, her dream world will be destroyed, adding to his burden of guilt. But even that can't stop him. The secure and rewarding life he has worked so hard to achieve begins to unravel.
396 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 22, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 5, 2014
Peter has everything going for him: a loving woman by his side, a daughter, friends, family, a lucrative job with plenty of opportunity, and a great home. Yet he's not happy. He's not satisfied. A chance meeting with dark and troubled Natalie intrigues Peter to the point that he places everything on the line to have her. How long can he keep up the ruse from those around him and continue juggling all of the balls in the air before it all comes crashing down?
The story opens with the early stages of Peter's current rehab job, the constant upheaval of keeping work on track, making sure everyone shows up on-site, and keeping the neighbors happy while their quiet corner of life is torn up, dust flies, and mud gets tracked up and down sidewalks and driveways. Throughout the story we follow the home rehab - and the mess there is pretty much indicative of Peter's personal life. He's not only trying to keep the current neighborhood inhabitants happy amid the chaos, but he's also trying to keep Claudia, his fiance, happy while she's trying to sell her own home, move in with Peter, and plan their wedding. Then there's that pesky trip to Spain his mother is planning, the soon-to-be homeless friend hanging on, the enormous project his aging father wants to hand off to him, the teenaged daughter who only wants to see him when she needs money - you get the idea. Not counting the past that refuses to stay buried.
Initially, you almost feel tender feelings toward Peter as everything threatens to fall in around him. But then very soon you begin to notice something twisted in the way Peter views the world and those around him - particularly in his view of women. It's a constant sizing up of the assets and flaws Peter sees in every woman's body, from the curve of their hips and the circumference of their waist to the amplitude (or lack thereof) of their breasts. From watching Claudia's pear shaped hips as she descends the attic space and comparing them to Natalie's more acceptable proportions (though Claudia's chest makes up for what Natalie's lacks) to checking out the bartender at the local watering-hole and the nurse at the hospital while visiting his father, Peter's obsessive cold, and calculating nature soon becomes apparent.
Plus there's that little eighteen-year-old he keeps stringing along on the side for when he needs to blow off a little steam.
Peter rapidly devolves into a character who is his own worst enemy - and he loves to blame his poor choices and cold attitude on everyone else. Even while he is sleeping with his fiance, his little eighteen-year-old throw away, and then adds the mysterious Natalie to the mix, he sees virtually nothing wrong with it all and finds some way to blame others. Claudia is too clingy. Zoe is too flighty. Natalie is too needy. His family too oppressive. But he can't willingly give any of them up.
The Butterfly Collector is a study into the mind of the psychopathic soul. Peter is cold, emotionless, and has no sympathy for anyone but himself. His narcissistic attitude is particularly telling when Claudia is in the midst of confronting him, and Peter simply doesn't care that he's broken her heart because he's too busy continuing to check out and make judgements on the other women in the bar. The calculating only involves how far Peter can take things before getting caught and then how much his next payout will be when he finishes the latest project. Even when he's with Natalie and she's suffering from a terrible headache, Peter continues to harass and belittle this object of his current worship, offering no concern for the fact that she is unwell. It's creepy. It's frustrating. Being in Peter's mind is enough to make one's skin crawl.
While reading, I could only take so much before I had to put it down for the night. The story has virtually no action. There's no mystery. There's little that actually takes place. Peter's past trauma even stays so far out on the periphery we never know exactly what happened (though there's enough to infer certain aspects). Everything that occurs is within Peter's point-of-view and mundane existence. We feel his malaise. We see his boredom. This story is primarily a peek into the twisted mind, which is what kept me coming back every few days.
I have to admit, it wasn't the writing. The severe overuse of pronouns made me put the story down many times in frustration. Even in settings where there were multiple men and women on the stage, we're still subjected to so many he's and she's that trying to understand which he and she was an exercise in futility. There was even a time in the first five or six chapters when I had to go back to the beginning to figure out the main character's name again - because he kept constantly referring to himself as 'he'.
Pronoun overuse also contributed to the extremely passive tone. At times it meandered so that I questioned the necessity of particular scenes to the overall story. Movements and motivations didn't have much flow or cohesion at times. One moment Peter's all alone at his house and then next he's at a bar waiting for friends with no scene break or simple sentence to lead into a spatial change. These rather sudden jumps in time and space were jarring and at times quite off-putting.
Content warning - the novel contains multiple moments of infidelity, psychologically troubling content that could further traumatize an abused soul, and is heavy on the strong profanity. Definitely not for those under eighteen.
The Butterfly Collector was at times difficult to continue reading. However, the fact that I kept coming back to the story to find out whether or not Peter would get his comeuppance causes me to ponder anew a higher rating than the overall quality of the writing suggests. I'll tread lightly on three and a half stars.
The story opens with the early stages of Peter's current rehab job, the constant upheaval of keeping work on track, making sure everyone shows up on-site, and keeping the neighbors happy while their quiet corner of life is torn up, dust flies, and mud gets tracked up and down sidewalks and driveways. Throughout the story we follow the home rehab - and the mess there is pretty much indicative of Peter's personal life. He's not only trying to keep the current neighborhood inhabitants happy amid the chaos, but he's also trying to keep Claudia, his fiance, happy while she's trying to sell her own home, move in with Peter, and plan their wedding. Then there's that pesky trip to Spain his mother is planning, the soon-to-be homeless friend hanging on, the enormous project his aging father wants to hand off to him, the teenaged daughter who only wants to see him when she needs money - you get the idea. Not counting the past that refuses to stay buried.
Initially, you almost feel tender feelings toward Peter as everything threatens to fall in around him. But then very soon you begin to notice something twisted in the way Peter views the world and those around him - particularly in his view of women. It's a constant sizing up of the assets and flaws Peter sees in every woman's body, from the curve of their hips and the circumference of their waist to the amplitude (or lack thereof) of their breasts. From watching Claudia's pear shaped hips as she descends the attic space and comparing them to Natalie's more acceptable proportions (though Claudia's chest makes up for what Natalie's lacks) to checking out the bartender at the local watering-hole and the nurse at the hospital while visiting his father, Peter's obsessive cold, and calculating nature soon becomes apparent.
Plus there's that little eighteen-year-old he keeps stringing along on the side for when he needs to blow off a little steam.
Peter rapidly devolves into a character who is his own worst enemy - and he loves to blame his poor choices and cold attitude on everyone else. Even while he is sleeping with his fiance, his little eighteen-year-old throw away, and then adds the mysterious Natalie to the mix, he sees virtually nothing wrong with it all and finds some way to blame others. Claudia is too clingy. Zoe is too flighty. Natalie is too needy. His family too oppressive. But he can't willingly give any of them up.
The Butterfly Collector is a study into the mind of the psychopathic soul. Peter is cold, emotionless, and has no sympathy for anyone but himself. His narcissistic attitude is particularly telling when Claudia is in the midst of confronting him, and Peter simply doesn't care that he's broken her heart because he's too busy continuing to check out and make judgements on the other women in the bar. The calculating only involves how far Peter can take things before getting caught and then how much his next payout will be when he finishes the latest project. Even when he's with Natalie and she's suffering from a terrible headache, Peter continues to harass and belittle this object of his current worship, offering no concern for the fact that she is unwell. It's creepy. It's frustrating. Being in Peter's mind is enough to make one's skin crawl.
While reading, I could only take so much before I had to put it down for the night. The story has virtually no action. There's no mystery. There's little that actually takes place. Peter's past trauma even stays so far out on the periphery we never know exactly what happened (though there's enough to infer certain aspects). Everything that occurs is within Peter's point-of-view and mundane existence. We feel his malaise. We see his boredom. This story is primarily a peek into the twisted mind, which is what kept me coming back every few days.
I have to admit, it wasn't the writing. The severe overuse of pronouns made me put the story down many times in frustration. Even in settings where there were multiple men and women on the stage, we're still subjected to so many he's and she's that trying to understand which he and she was an exercise in futility. There was even a time in the first five or six chapters when I had to go back to the beginning to figure out the main character's name again - because he kept constantly referring to himself as 'he'.
Pronoun overuse also contributed to the extremely passive tone. At times it meandered so that I questioned the necessity of particular scenes to the overall story. Movements and motivations didn't have much flow or cohesion at times. One moment Peter's all alone at his house and then next he's at a bar waiting for friends with no scene break or simple sentence to lead into a spatial change. These rather sudden jumps in time and space were jarring and at times quite off-putting.
Content warning - the novel contains multiple moments of infidelity, psychologically troubling content that could further traumatize an abused soul, and is heavy on the strong profanity. Definitely not for those under eighteen.
The Butterfly Collector was at times difficult to continue reading. However, the fact that I kept coming back to the story to find out whether or not Peter would get his comeuppance causes me to ponder anew a higher rating than the overall quality of the writing suggests. I'll tread lightly on three and a half stars.
June 22, 2014
Actual Rating 3.5*
I have only read a few novels told from the point of view of a man, but not many have reached the intricacies of a man’s thought process from the inside out. Adam Dickson did a surprisingly wonderful job of fully exploring the thoughts of his character, Peter.
What I enjoyed most about this work was that it was so well written and the plot was explored at a great pace. It never felt rushed, although there were a few times I felt there were some things I could have done without. Each character was given a unique personality and you never had to guess whose thoughts you were reading because it was obvious.
My first impression of Peter was that a woman had somehow hurt him and I automatically wanted to root for him because there was no way he was just a flat out jerk. It was obvious he had a history of some sort of tragedy, but he refused to speak about it, instead focusing his thoughts on women – all women. As the story progressed I began to think he was just a guy who felt pressured into a relationship he wasn’t ready for and he didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings so he went along with it. Finally, I relented and admitted that he was, in fact, just a jerk who was not capable of monogamy or anything remotely close to it, but I still felt no need to judge him. I felt like maybe he needed someone like Natalie, who would provide the challenge that Claudia obviously didn’t. Then I remembered people would only do what they can get away with and these women allowed so much. I found it quite amusing that in Peter’s mind, he saw his faults, but had endless justifications for them; man logic at its best!
While this book didn’t have me on the edge of my seat, I would definitely still recommend it as a great read that I enjoyed. There was just enough intrigue to keep me reading and wanting to figure out what would happen next.
I have only read a few novels told from the point of view of a man, but not many have reached the intricacies of a man’s thought process from the inside out. Adam Dickson did a surprisingly wonderful job of fully exploring the thoughts of his character, Peter.
What I enjoyed most about this work was that it was so well written and the plot was explored at a great pace. It never felt rushed, although there were a few times I felt there were some things I could have done without. Each character was given a unique personality and you never had to guess whose thoughts you were reading because it was obvious.
My first impression of Peter was that a woman had somehow hurt him and I automatically wanted to root for him because there was no way he was just a flat out jerk. It was obvious he had a history of some sort of tragedy, but he refused to speak about it, instead focusing his thoughts on women – all women. As the story progressed I began to think he was just a guy who felt pressured into a relationship he wasn’t ready for and he didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings so he went along with it. Finally, I relented and admitted that he was, in fact, just a jerk who was not capable of monogamy or anything remotely close to it, but I still felt no need to judge him. I felt like maybe he needed someone like Natalie, who would provide the challenge that Claudia obviously didn’t. Then I remembered people would only do what they can get away with and these women allowed so much. I found it quite amusing that in Peter’s mind, he saw his faults, but had endless justifications for them; man logic at its best!
While this book didn’t have me on the edge of my seat, I would definitely still recommend it as a great read that I enjoyed. There was just enough intrigue to keep me reading and wanting to figure out what would happen next.
May 6, 2014
This story highlights the fact that sometimes even appearing to have it all isn’t enough for some. I didn’t warm to Peter Calliet but then I don’t think I was supposed to. He came across as a faithless, mercurial man who is led very much by the moment and what he wants, only really vaguely acknowledging as the story progresses that he doesn’t know what he needs. Even though I didn’t much like what I was reading in terms of his behaviour to others, this novel draws you in and demands you find out what happens next.
This novel is very well written and could be seen as an indication of what goes on in a man’s mind when in a relationship but I think that is a little unfair to the male of the species in general. After all some of the women in the story don’t conduct themselves any better than Peter. This book simply highlights the human emotions we all go through in day to day life; the thoughts we may have and the choices we may make. It’s a snapshot of human psychology which could be the story of the man you see going past every morning in the BMW, the newspaper seller on the street corner or the film star on the big screen.
Alternatively it could just be seen as a story of a man who couldn’t commit to a grown up relationship. Either way there is no hero in this story. Peter Calliet had a life most would be content with but he never learns from his past mistakes and continued to make questionable life choices. In the end he could do nothing but reap what he had sown.
This novel is very well written and could be seen as an indication of what goes on in a man’s mind when in a relationship but I think that is a little unfair to the male of the species in general. After all some of the women in the story don’t conduct themselves any better than Peter. This book simply highlights the human emotions we all go through in day to day life; the thoughts we may have and the choices we may make. It’s a snapshot of human psychology which could be the story of the man you see going past every morning in the BMW, the newspaper seller on the street corner or the film star on the big screen.
Alternatively it could just be seen as a story of a man who couldn’t commit to a grown up relationship. Either way there is no hero in this story. Peter Calliet had a life most would be content with but he never learns from his past mistakes and continued to make questionable life choices. In the end he could do nothing but reap what he had sown.
May 6, 2014
I must say at first I disliked Peter Calliet, he is everything about a man that I despise, has he not heard the saying why go out for burgers when you have steak at home?. I have been caught by this type of man before this is probably why I felt a strong dislike to him. However, I realised that the women were just as bad as he was. By the end I actually felt sorry for him, I did start to think "oh no don't feel sorry for him, he bought it on himself" but I am a soft touch and think with my emotions.
I have not read a book like this from a males perspective before so it made a change. It was well written and flowed at an even pace.
It was an enjoyable read and I would like to read more from Adam Dickson in the future.
I have not read a book like this from a males perspective before so it made a change. It was well written and flowed at an even pace.
It was an enjoyable read and I would like to read more from Adam Dickson in the future.
March 10, 2014
Not impressed, embarrassingly my book group choice too .. I will owe quite a few glasses of wine to the others to compensate I think ...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews