The Butterfly Trap

by Dennis Jon

In hindsight, maybe fluttering off the tour guide's red line wasn't such a good idea. But Jon has neither hindsight nor foresight as his vacationn unfolds in real time. Acting without consequence, he discovers that real life is funnier, crazier, and more interesting than fiction, as he encounters football hooligans, crooked tour guides, domino hustlers, root salesmen, transvestite karaoke stars, restroom massage gangs, and angels - not with wings and halos, but g-strings and high heels. Excellent read.

307 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 2003

Reviews

[Will Bible · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick beach read about a man's (true story) in Bangkok. Just divorced, he heads to Thailand for a tourist get away. (Spoiler) What he finds is four separate affairs with the infamous bar girls of Bangkok.

Unlike other stories about prostitution, there is no violence involved. And the women are not abused. The story teller is generally likable, even if his motives are not the most pure. At times you feel sorry for him as he continually is taken by the city's fleet of money sucking scam artists. But then he turns around and dumps the hooker he professes to adore.

The book is direct, and fairly well written. It is cohesive. There is only one big question here, and he doesn't answer it for you: In his sex-fueled journey though Bangkok's sex industry, did he do anything (morally) wrong?

[Matt Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's written much like a Paul Theroux travel book, with the observer simply moving through his environment and reporting what happened and what he did without a moral melodrama. In other words, it feels very honest. The author is not trying to say what is right or wrong, he just writes 'what is.'

Besides, it made me laugh out loud and thus 5 stars.

[Taj Martin-Simpson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept waiting for the character to have an apiphany or develop in some way. On the second last page he works out Thai prostitutes are people. Yay.

[Eline Nesje · Rating 1 out of 5]

300 sider om en fyrs selvbiografi fra en ferie i Thailand for å skaffe seg damer. No thanks. Misvisende utdrag på baksiden

[Neeraj Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read till he meets his angels. then becomes erotica

[Simon Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining insight into Thailand and its characters.