by Kaylie Seed
Katrine Engberg’s forthcoming novel, The Butterfly House, features detectives Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner, who were also the main characters in her debut, The Tenant. In this Nordic crime novel, the reader will get a glimpse into the psychiatric system in Denmark, where Engberg hails from. Jeppe sets out to find a killer who is murdering victims by draining them of blood, while at the same time Anette struggles to adjust to life as a parent and wants nothing more than to get back to work. While switching between multiple characters' perspectives, Engberg creates twists and turns that are only revealed when she wants the reader to know about them.
Engberg focuses on mental illness, homelessness, and the psychiatric system in The Butterfly House and manages to connect these themes together throughout the story to show the reader the struggles Denmark faces when it comes to mental health. Engberg has written The Butterfly House to be a book in the same series as The Tenant, however the reader does not need to have read The Tenant to understand what is going on. Engberg’s character development is near flawless, and those who have not read her first novel will still find The Butterfly House satisfying in letting the reader know who these characters are.
The Butterfly House is an entertaining whodunit that will keep readers guessing what is going to happen next. Engberg jumps to different characters throughout The Butterfly House and doesn’t necessarily say which one the narrator is following, so the reader really needs to pay attention when reading the story or they may get lost in the plot. This was the only major drawback to the novel because the focus character is switched up mid-chapter and sometimes characters are switched up multiple times, so the reader needs to make sure they’re paying attention. Overall, Engberg has created an engaging read that will leave readers wondering what is going to happen next for Jeppe and Anette.
*Thank you Simon& Schuster Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.