Шкурка бабочки

by Sergey Kuznetsov, Сергей Кузнецов

"Когда-то я мечтал быть рок-звездой. Стоять на сцене, залитой кровью, как Игги Поп или Ник Рок-н-Ролл. Моя мечта сбылась. Я стал серийным убийцей".

Интернет-газета рассказывает о преступлениях маньяка-убийцы. Амбициозная журналистка, склонная к мазохизму, ищет экстремального секса. Маньяк убивает снова и снова. Эти двое искали друг друга всю жизнь. Там, где они встретятся, останется лишь пустота и боль. А боль не знает лжи.

"Я бы хотел написать книгу, где красота природы и красота смерти слились бы воедино. Эта книга была бы ложью - потому что, когда убиваешь, не думаешь о временах года. Убивая, ты просто убиваешь. И внутри у тебя - только ужас. Ужас и возбуждение".

Если я услышу слово "любовь" - я тебя ударю.

Новый роман Сергея Кузнецова бьет наотмашь.

Genres: Horror, Crime, Thriller, Mystery, Book Club, Fiction, Russia

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

[RU: Сергей Кузнецов]

Sergey Yurievich Kuznetsov (Russian: Сергей Юрьевич Кузнецов; born 14 June 1966) is a contemporary Russian writer, journalist and entrepreneur.

Butterfly Skin was translated into English, German, French, Polish, Hungarian, Czech, Dutch, and other languages. The publishers called it a Russian take on Silence of the Lambs, but critics pointed out that Kuznetsov "aims for more than smug nihilism. He delivers a gratifying conclusion to a sometimes overburdened and sickening journey through sadism and alienation."

His most recent novel, Kaleidoscope, received praise from both readers and critics. Lisa Hayden, a recognized literary translator, wrote: ‘What I enjoy is reading about upheaval and how it affects and even connects characters that pop in and out of the chapters like pieces in a kaleidoscope".

Member of PEN Club and Russian Union of Cinematographers.

Reviews

[Luna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me start by saying I would not recommend this book. It's not because of the subject matter. The book tries to portray itself as something sinister and sick and that one may be put off by the subject matter but in all honesty there is not much to do with serial killing in this book. There are some glimpses of course but the book mainly deals with the story of an online editor who dedicates an internet site about the Moscow serial killer at hand. The site is a catch all for all his crimes in a hope to catch him. The editor is 23 years old and into BDSM. She naturally gets off on pain and the book deals a lot with her and her relationships at work and her friends and not so much about BDSM. So this book teases us with glimpses into serial killing and glimpses of BDSM and their respective mindsets. In all honesty when I read books of this nature I want to be surrounded by the blood and gore of what they do and of course how they ultimately get caught. This book, as it appears to be the norm today, wants to preach to me. Wants me to identify with the mindset of such individuals. As mentioned it does so in an artsy type of way like if I had friends over we would discuss this at length over drinks and the like. You know what, if I am discussing a serial killer I might make a comment on what a sick **** such an individual might be but I would not really care about what caused this to happen because there are a lot of downtrodden people living downtrodden lives who never stoop to such levels - any conversation on this subject matter would be over quite quickly if I was part of any such conversation - it would not be a tea and biscuits conversation . Can the root causes of such killers ever be identified so as to prevent it from happening - very doubtful indeed. I also do not believe the ending to be plausible at all - there is just no way the killer would allow himself to be in such a situation. I did like references to past serial killers and being Canadian and from Ontario I liked the Bernardo/Homolka references. Everyone always assumed Bernardo was the sick individual so the Crown attorney's got his girlfriend Karla Homolka on board to testify against him. However, after reaching a deal with her to testify against Bernardo they discovered video tapes with the killings on them including Homolka and Bernardo killing her sister and she a willing participant in all the rapes and murders. The Ontario government still honored their deal with Homolka. It was a disgrace and the tapes would have delivered any jury finding them both guilty and sentenced to life but hey - only in Canada! Ps a life sentence in Canada is only 25 years and parole can be had after serving a third of the sentence. Bottom line I only finished this book because I always finish what I start. I came close to putting it down for good several times. It does get better at the end but in no way do I recommend it. I rate this book about a 2 out of ten!

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish this, which is rare for me, and I even persisted for one more chapter to give it a chance to get better. The descriptions sounded like it would be right up my alley: psychosexual crime stuff is interesting to me, if done right. The fact that it's translated suggested that it might have some substance—no one bothers to translate a terrible book ... usually.

The biggest problem is that it's written in second person. It's not something you often see, because it doesn't really work. The suggestion that I am the protagonist of the novel might seem like a way to involve me more intimately in the story, but the effect is quite the opposite.

"Yes, your name is Ksenia," it reads. "You live in a rented flat, cheap, found through friends." No it isn't, and no I don't. I'm also not thin and short. Second person is a quick way to remove me further from the character. It might work in a choose-the-ending book, but not here.

Even more alarming is the fact that the author himself can't control the p.o.v. very well, switching to third person in the middle of paragraphs for no good reason. Perhaps it's a translation issue, but the result is so muddy, that it's difficult to read.

I couldn't find anything to latch on to, or any signs that I could trust the writer to tell this story well.

[Adela · Rating 1 out of 5]

No,no,no,no,noooooo! Stvar ukusa ali i ova jedna zvijezdica je mnogo!

[Ivana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nisam ovo uopšte očekivala. Savršen zaplet, savršen profil ubice i ostalih likova. Sergej ume zaista da vas ubaci u um likova.
Ne bih preporučili osobama koje su čak i malčice gadljiv, jer su neki događaji, načini mučenja i ubistva stvarno jako uznemirujući i (nekima) nepodnisljivi. Uzela sam ovu knjigu slučajnu u biblioteci, nakon što sam prevrnula skoro svaki triler i ničiji opis me nije oduševio. Nije ni ovaj opis nešto fantastican, u njemu nije bilo naznaka za neko ovako monstruozno ubistvo i ostale sado-mazo scene, a to je upravo ono što sam i tražila.
😱👽🧠💇‍♀️🦋🔪🕯️📌✂️🔨💉🧷

[Missy (myweereads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If they asked me how I see the perfect society, I’d reply: it’s a society in which pain and suffering have equal rights with happiness.”

Butterfly Skin by Sergey Kuznetsov is a harrowing story which immerses the reader inside the mind of a serial killer stalking women on the streets of Moscow. Ksenia, an ambitious young editor for an online newspaper, seeks him out and both become obsessed with each other.

There’s so much going on in this book. A strong warning to readers of the very graphic content with regards to how the killer stalks and murders his victims, a lot of gore and descriptions of BDSM. If you are sensitive to these kind of subjects then id suggest avoiding this one. The plot itself is strong, the first chapter is a punch in the gut. What I like about the books is the back and forth viewpoint and the very visceral moments with the killer and the journalist.

The protagonist is our killer. The way he describes how he feels when he is with his victims as sick as it sounds is almost poetic. The author writes the gore and disturbing parts in such a way that shocks you but also you can see why it’s integral to the story. Ksenia is a young journalist who becomes so obsessed she is simultaneously analysing her own dark and perverted desires.

This book covers a lot of ground when it comes to true crime. It mentions so many well known serial killers including Russia’s infamous Andrei Chikatilo. If anything this book has made me want to read up on him even more.

If you found books like The Girl Next Door and Crow Girl hard to read then I would suggest you give this a miss. I can see why it was so graphical. The purpose was to go into the mind of a killer and that it did. Its left me wanting to read all the Hannibal Lector books which I now have to push up my TBR list. A dark and chilling story without a doubt and one I would recommend.

[Elisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is undeniably well-written and it may be a masterpiece of serial killer literature... I just didn't like it. The constant changes in points of view is distracting and confusing. All the stream-of-consciousness makes for well-developed characters who could not be any more self-centered and unlikable. It is too hard to read. In the tradition of Russian literature (at least the books I've read) it is heavy and complicated. I don't give it more stars not because I believe it's a bad book, it is just that it didn't hold my attention.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crime is on the peripheral in BUTTERFLY SKIN as the author, Sergey Kuznetsov instead draws attention to his core group of characters and their subtly deliberate fusion with the darker elements of the novel - the Moscow serial killer.

I found this approach both refreshing and believable. Ksenia is a career driven young woman looking to further her professional aspirations in the journalistic and information technology fields in Russia. Running an online newspaper that regularly sits outside the top ranking, she concocts a plan to draw new readers by capitalizing on the fear associated with Moscow's yet to be captured serial killer. Aided by her co-worker Alexei and close friend Olya her venture brings instant fame and the unwanted attention of the killer.

Graphic, evocative, blatantly sexualised - BUTTERFLY SKIN is not for those easily put off by descriptive dissection, and explicit sexual acts (though this isn't overtly so, and is well within context). The novel, as I mentioned earlier isn't all about the heinous crime that binds the characters and drives their motives but it does loom omnipresent. This is a dark novel that should be read as such to fully appreciate how good it is.

This is the first book by Russian author Sergey Kuznetsov I've read and the only one I believe (though I could be wrong) that has been translated into English. Personally, I hope to read more.

Review first appeared on my blog: http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not your typical horror/serial killer book. It reads a little slow but it also reads like the poetic diary of a serial killer. Which sounds both intriguing and scary to climb into the mind of a psychopath. I am going to stop right here for a moment and throw out a huge warning that if you do not like gore then do not read this book. There is a lot of details spent talking about the murders. Which for me was not a problem. But for others it could be and even cause nightmares. One thing I did find interesting was how the killer talked about killing the women but in seasons. So, how spring affected the woman and how she died did differ from if the crime took place during winter. As much as I did like this book and the concept of it being very poetic, this very idea also kept me distant from the characters in the book. I did not become as emotionally attached and thus the reason that sometimes I struggled with the book in parts and stating it read slow. Overall, though I did like this book. International authors need to be recognized more for their work. With books like Butterfly Skin it does help.

[Lexi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutně netuším, co jsem od téhle knihy čekala, protože to je snad ta nejhorší knížka, jakou jsem kdy četla. Autor neví jak by už psal - nejdřív píše v ICH formě, pak přesedlá na přístup, kdy jakoby děj plyne spolu s čtením, kdy je jakoby čtenář jednou z postav (nevím přesně, jak se tomu říká, příklad: Prošel jsi, viděl si...) a pak se opět stočí jinam, k R formě. Námět sice nebyl špatný, ale provedení je skutečně mizerné, stejně jako postavy. I kdybych se snažila sebevíc nebýt kritická, tak na téhle knize není vůbec nic, co bych označila za klad.

[Tricia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not find anything to like about this book.
It was repetitive, unfocused and tremendously boring.
The repetition is so often (like it will talk about something or describe something several ways several times or more within the span of a page.)
I did not find any of the characters to be interesting or at all likeable.
When I put this book down I dreaded to pick it back up; in fact I read 3 other books while trying to get through Butterfly Skin.
There are way better books to spend my time on.

[Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Troubling. But interesting.
Extreme violence and gore. But also a look at modern characters in today's Moscow.

[Laurent Szklarz]

...

[Rachel Bridgeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 2014 by Titan Books, ''Butterfly Skin' has been compared to 'The Silence Of The Lambs', with a protagonist as memorable as Hannibal Lector.
A bold claim, does this have much basis in reality for this reader?

A quick response , a categorical 'No' from this reader. 

To compare one book to the other is like comparing day to night-much of the reason that 'Silence..' was such a huge hit on its release is because of the inaccessibility of Hannibal. He remains an enigmatic presence whose motives are untrusted, speculated upon and never fully revealed.

Here, the author puts you straight inside the mind of the killer who is cutting a swathe through the female population of Moscow, leaving you in no doubt how much he enjoys, dreams about and looks forward to taking his next victim. The details are gruesomely written about with the type of relish that leaves the reader feeling tainted by even association through the pages of the book, the first person narration giving a voyeuristic insight to murders that made me feel queasy and disorientated.

The chapters of this book alternate between the  killer and Xenia, a journalist who is a ruthless career woman and intends to set up a website devoted to the serial killings that have her in thrall. She sees there is a way to exploit them for financial gain as well as boosting her personal CV. A ruthless businesswoman she may be but behind closed doors she uses sadomasochistic punishment-both alone and with consensual partners-to punish the little girl she still believes herself to be. It is as if the pain she inflicts brings her closer to her mortality, drives her forward as a woman and a journalist and serves as a character flaw to everyone except her. It reinforces the paternalistic nature of modern Russian society where women are seen as commodities and as disposable-both by those who hunt them and those who would seek to use them.

This is such an odd book, it packs a visceral punch and is definitely not for the faint hearted. I read about 40 pages before having to Google reviews of the book to see what others had made of it, and here was a schism wherein there were 1 star or 5 star reviews. It was a love/hate reaction which, I get the impression, is exactly  what the author intended to achieve.

It's a cerebral and dark fairy tale, the dark underbelly of a society that values obedience more than individuality and wastes no time in striking down those who do not participate in perceived social norms. 

I have not read a great deal of Russian literature so am not familiar with the plot devices and this is what bothered me-constant use of multiple names for the same characters, multiple repetitions of points often within the space of the same page, and swapping tenses at head spinning speeds. There would be chapters that start in the third person then change to the first and others in the second person which created such a sense of dislocation that is immensely distracting.

However, in the pages of this novel, there is a very dark retelling of the Big Bad Wold and Little Red Riding Hood, as both killer and journalist begin a deadly tango around each other. Which one turns out to be the leader? It's for the reader to decide, as it's a book worth sticking with but, be warned, it is hard work.

I found it took 4 times as long to read a book of this size than I normally would, and that is despite struggling to read due to being ill at the time. There were a lot of necessary breaks due to the subject matter-the killer really,really hates women-and the pages of dense writing made it hard to sustain any kind of pace.

Would I recommend it? 

Probably not, especially if you are looking for a 'Silence..' esque killer thriller. If you want something real, gritty and violent this might be the book for you.

I don't regret reading it, better minds than mine could be more succinct about the subject matter and  mode of writing, however, this remains a novel that has me scratching my head and wondering what the author's intention was in writing it. And if he plans to follow it up with any more..

[She - wolf · Rating 1 out of 5]

Na prvoj stranici stoji informacija da je autor imao namjeru posvetiti knjigu dvojici prijatelja, ali su ga oni zamolili da to ne čini i da ih ne dovodi ni u kakvu vezu s njom. Mogu razumjeti zašto je to tako. Trebalo mi je dosta vremena da pročitam ovu knjigu, a da ne izostavim niti jedan njen dio. Sve u svemu ne znam šta bih rekla o ovome. Priča je dosadna, konstantno se ponavljaju iste rečenice (ako je to neka umjetnička fora uopće nije zanimljiva), očito je autor inteligentan čovjek ili se bar nastoji prikazati kao takav. Likovi su blijedi, nezanimljivi, pratimo nekoliko različitih priča koje ni po čemu nisu posebne, na momente sam imala osjećaj da čitam nekakve novinske članke. Onda je tu autorova opsjednutost seksualnošću i seksom, uopće mi nije jasno zašto se to toliko potenciralo kroz cijelu priču. Da sam psiholog, a nisam, rekla bih da autor ima neke probleme takve prirode. Ovu knjigu bi najbolje opisala riječ: pretjerivanje, i to u svemu. Okej, nemam ništa protiv realističnih prikaza ubojstava u knjigama (to mi uopće ne smeta), ali ovdje sam imala osjećaj da Kuznetsov nastoji dati što je više moguće krvavih detalja i da to izgleda jako brutalno, monstruozno, divlje - a pretjerao je, tako da je na kraju sve izgledalo plastično i bezvezno. Očito je mnogo čitao o ruskim i svjetskim serijskim ubojicama, u pauzama gledao filmove BDSM tematike, i onda odlučio napisati knjigu koja bi objedinila te njegove dvije fiksacije. Sasvim jasno riječ je o potpunom promašaju, možda je naš Sergej dobar novinar, ali je jako loš pisac i mislim da bi trebao ostati u domenu žurnalistike. Da sam kojim slučajem ja njegova prijateljica i da me želio dovesti u vezu sa ovom budalaštinom, definitivno bih postupila kao i njegovi prijatelji i završila konverzaciju rečenicom: ''Molim te, izostavi me iz toga''.

The first page contains information that the author intended to dedicate the book to two friends, but they asked him not to do so and not to bring them into any connection with it. I can understand why this is so. It took me a long time to read this book without omitting any part of it. All in all, I don't know what to say about this. The story is boring, the same sentences are constantly repeated (it isn't interesting at all), obviously the author is an intelligent man or at least he tries to present himself as such. The characters are pale, uninteresting, we follow several different stories that are not special in any way, at times I had the feeling that I was reading some newspaper articles. Then there’s the author’s obsession with sexuality and sex, it’s not at all clear to me why this was so potentiated throughout the story. If I were a psychologist, and I'm not, I would say that the author has some problems of that nature. This book would best be described by the word: exaggeration, and in everything. Okay, I don’t mind realistic depictions of murders in books (it doesn’t bother me at all), but here I had a feeling that Kuznetsov was trying to give as many bloody details as possible and that it looked very brutal, monstrous, wild - and he exaggerated, so in the end everything seemed plastic and silly. Apparently he read a lot about Russian and world serial killers, watched BDSM-themed movies during breaks, and then decided to write a book that would combine those two fixations of his. Quite clearly it is a complete failure, maybe our Sergey is a good journalist, but he is a very bad writer and I think he should stay in the domain of journalism. If by any chance I was his friend and he wanted to bring me into contact with this nonsense, I would act like his friends and end the conversation with the sentence, "Please leave me out of this."

[Sergej V. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had very high expectations - not gonna lie! I usually do not, but I did with this one.
From reading the book description, it seemed as if this one has it all that makes an awesome thriller/horror - serial killer, violence, graphic descriptions, sexual kinks, badass protagonist trying to catch a bad guy, etc etc...

...HOWEVER...

There is so much wrong about the book that I do not know where to start... my main issues with it:::
1. POVs - This was so confusing. I had no clue from which point of view the book is and, even when I get the slightest idea, the author switches them in the middle of paragraph and makes it all much more confusing.
2. Characters - Not likeable and way too many with all the nicknames... again, confusing
3. The focus - I was not sure if the focus is on Ksenia and her kinks, or it is on capturing the killer, or something third... very hard to follow and keeps dragging forever.

The list could go on, but I will stop here...

I am sorry - I do not recommend this book 😞

[Horror DNA · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a book simultaneously pulls you in opposite directions, it forces you to analyze your feelings and to read more carefully in order not to miss any detail that might tip the scales one way or the other. Sergey Kuznetsov's Butterfly Skin caused conflicting emotions to jockey for position from the first few paragraphs and, despite attentive reading, it kept that balance until the last page. Now that it's over and I've had time to digest its content, I still can't say one feeling overpowers the other. The book is good, but it could've been great, and its shortcomings are too powerful to ignore.

You can read Gabino's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs some serious editing. Second-person viewpoint is unnecessary and distracting. Less focus on the secondary characters would have made the heroine and the killer more compelling. Weak, predictable ending after wading through 300 pages of boredom. Not terrible, but certainly not worth a recommendation.

[Jana Kočkomilka Modřínová · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jako každá kniha i tato má pasáže vaty. Co ovšem vata není, to je opravdu reálné zobrazení hlavní postavy Xenie. A to tak, že ani konec nebo neustálé omílání, kdo je jaká manažerka hodnocení neuškodilo.

[Lesley · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only book out of the 113 I've read so far this year that I couldn't finish. The messy POVs, the constant repetition of particular phrases that I think were trying to be stylistic but just ended up irritating meant I just could not get into the story.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Téma super, způsob zpracování o dost méně... Ale co by chtěl člověk za dvacku, že.

[Natalie Pavlis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply disturbing. Well written but the ending seemed rushed. I would definitely read more from this author

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

říkala jsem si, že je to až příliš brutální.. styl autora mi přišel originální, jako muž psal výborně ženské postavy a konec knihy leccos vysvětlil.

[Alica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bolesno i uznemirujuce. Pomislih da autor ima iskustvo ubijanja.

[Bianca Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much build up and the end did not live up to expectation. Has nothing on Silence of The Lambs.

[Αlexa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too explicit for my taste. And to be honest, boring. I was skipping some pages to get faster to the end.

[Milica · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, I am not thrilled with the book. The descriptions are detailed but the book did not hold my attention. In some parts, it was even boring.

[Elizabeth Kirchens · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hate how this is written. It was mostly talking in 2nd person which is just bizarre. Plus the story was just all over the place. Couldn't even finish it!

[Savannah Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much filler for me. I wanted them to get to the point. DNF :(

[BookNerdsBrainDump · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Take: Sometimes, catching the bad guy isn’t the best part.

I’ll be honest. I didn’t have high hopes going into this one. Crime thrillers that take place in other countries can sometimes be frustrating for me to read. I’m used to my good old US of A rules and procedures, and sometimes, when reading a mystery that takes place elsewhere, I get annoyed with the way they can’t just put on their Criminal Minds hats and solve the damn thing.

But Butterfly Skin was different. In this one, there’s so much wearing of the Criminal Minds hat that it’s almost too much at times. I think that Sergey Kuznetsov read “Silence of the Lambs” and said to himself “You know, I could push this so much further.” And oh, did he.

Ksenia is a rising star in the world of journalism. At twenty-three, she is already a senior editor at the website evening.ru, a Russian news site. She’s also heavily into the S portion of BDSM, and can only find release when in pain. She keeps her personal and professional lives perfectly separate, until a serial killer begins stalking the streets of Moscow.

Ksenia’s fascination with the killer, which she expresses through long, thoughtful articles on the site, turns into his fascination with her, and from there, into a deadly cat and mouse game. That sounds unbearably cliche, I know, but stick with me for a minute.

For starters, the setting (Moscow, present day) is so weirdly exotic and normal at the same time.

I mean, I’ve watched a lot of youtube videos of crazy-awesome stuff that happens in Russia. Usually there’s vodka involved, and some kind of explosive material, and lots of loud laughter, and people being thrown through the air at dangerous velocities while seeming to have the time of their lives. And it always seemed to me that the Russians knew something about life that the rest of us may have missed, this kind of joy and adventure and big deep lust for experience that those of us who wither in cubicles for decades can only admire from the outside.

But Butterfly Skin showed me something else, something darker and more complex, a fatalism running beneath the outward jubilance, a sense of “eh, we could all be dead tomorrow, might as well have fun tonight.” This is a book about a killer who does terrible things (and even a hardcore horror lover like me had trouble getting through some of the descriptions of murder and mutilation in this one), but it’s also a book about what it’s like to be a young woman on a path that looks great, but who never really knows if it’s the right one.

Ksenia has two close girlfriends, Marina and Olya, and through them, we see other people she might have been, or could yet become: Marina is a single mother to a toddler whose father has long disappeared, Olya is a professional businesswoman who owns her own home and car. Formerly promiscuous Marina has embraced motherhood to the exclusion of nearly everything else, Olya’s long-term affair with a married man can’t end any way but badly. More than anything, this is a book about obsession.

Ksenia is obsessed with the killer, but not in the way that most of us would be (seeing him brought to justice). She is obsessed with the horrific things he does to women’s bodies. In him, she seeks a kind of transcendent experience, being pushed beyond all of her previous limits of pain and pleasure. It’s kinky, but not in a fun way.

Did I mention that many of the descriptions made me cringe?

The language of Butterfly skin is lush, bordering on purple prose, and there’s a rich vein of sensuality that runs alongside descriptions of removing body parts. (Note: this was a translation from the original language; I can’t say what the “real” book sounds like.) At times, it got a little dense, and a bit repetitive. But there was still something so compelling about Butterfly Skin.

I probably sound kind of conflicted, and all over the map. That’s really how I felt reading this book. There was just so much to it. So much beauty and ugliness all tied together, and joy and fear, and lust and rage. Definitely one to check out if you want something darker and deeper, but absolutely not for the squeamish.

The Nerd’s Rating: Four Happy Neurons (and a bottle of vodka because of course.)

[Rich D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review copy provided by Titan Books in exchange for an honest review

The novel focuses on the life of 23-year-old Ksenia, the Senior Editor of the News Department of Evening.ru, an online newspaper who is trying to hold its own against established media heavyweights such as Tickertape and News.ru. Despite being younger and not having the same formal training as her colleagues, Ksenia has established control over the newsroom based on her ability to bring out the best of her employees and her ability to transform even the most mundane stories into something that readers immediately identify with and can apply to their own lives.

Ksenia loves her job, but wants more money from her boss and an opportunity to make a name for herself. He tells her that although she is an outstanding employee, the only way she will get another raise is to bring him a special project, something that will set their news site apart from the competition. This challenge sets about a chain of events that will forever alter the lives of Ksenia and those who are close to her when she realizes the perfect project will come from creating an extensive website dedicated to the Moscow Psycho, a brutal killer who has been committing horrific murders throughout the city. As Ksenia delves further into the project, she begins to develop a fascination with the savage sexual components of the murders as she begins exploring the darker side of her sexuality. The tension is amplified further after she falls in love with a mysterious person on ICQ chat, known only as "alien", who seems to be the only person who truly understands Ksneia's desires. Could this be the perfect partner Ksenia has been searching for since the demise of her last relationship or has she established a connection with the killer himself?

While reading Kuznetsov's novel, I was torn on how I felt about it. The premise is extremely interesting - not only do we follow the characters tasked with tracking down the infamous Moscow Psycho, but we get an in-depth look into the troubled psyche of the killer himself. However, there are a few structural elements that really took me out of the story. Often time Kuznetsov switches between first, second and third person narration, often times within the same chapter. While some people may like it, it gets to be a bit confusing. I don't mind when an author switches point of view in the narration, but doing so too frequently often rips me right out of the story. There are also a few name changes that are often jarring in the context of the story. One of the chapters focuses on a minor character named Alexi Rokotov and delves into his back story. However, inexplicably, he is referred to as Lyosha in that very same chapter. Is this a nickname? A translating error? There are a few instances of this throughout the novel and they hinder the reading experience at times when you frantically flip back to see if you missed something.

There is no denying that Kuznetsov is a talented writer, but at times the story is slowed to an almost glacial pace by focusing too much on the inner monologues of the various characters. While it makes the characters very complex and life-like, it hinders any momentum the story manages to build throughout the course of the coverage of the killer.

Despite these concerns, Kuznetsov has crafted an intense and brutal novel that explores the depths of darkness that lurks within everyday people. That is what truly makes the Moscow Psycho such a terrifying antagonist - for all of his brutality and warped rationale behind his need to kill, he is still an average person. As Ksenia's boss states in the novel, he lives in the same city as the characters and probably visits the same places they do. His outward appearance of normalcy allows him to blend in with the rest of society and mask his capacity for violence until it is too late. This portrayal of a serial killer is certainly not a new phenomenon, but is utilized expertly in Butterfly Skin. While the novel does have some flaws, if you enjoyed The Silence of the Lambs or Stieg Larsson's Millennium series, Butterfly Skin is definitely worth a read.