The Butterfly Cabinet by Bernie McGill

By Kate     7th November 2023

The Butterfly Cabinet by Bernie McGill

Published: 2011, Headline Review

Rating: ★★★★

Genres:  Historical fiction, Gothic, Mystery, Irish fiction

Age Rating: 13+

About the Book

When Anna, the young woman she cared for as a child, announces her intention to visit the elderly Maddie, Maddie recognises her last chance to unburden herself of a story that has gnawed at her for sixty years. For Maddie, rather like the butterfly cabinet she keeps safely under lock and key, has for too long guarded a secret: that of the day a four-year-old girl died at the big house where she worked as a nanny. Finally, Maddie knows, Anna is ready to hear what happened. As Maddie’s mind drifts back through the years, so too is revealed the story of Charlotte’s mother, Harriet Ormond. A proud, uncompromising woman, Harriet’s great passion is collecting butterflies and pinning them under glass; motherhood comes no easier to her than her role as mistress of her remote Irish estate. When her daughter dies, her community is quick to judge her, and Harriet will not stoop to defend herself. But her journals reveal a more complex truth.

My Review

The Butterfly Cabinet by Bernie McGill is a story that constantly had me wanting to know more. The story unfolds the death of a girl called Charlotte, who was supposedly killed by the careless actions of her mother. The main chunk of the story is actually set in the 1800s but is revealed chapter by chapter in diary extracts found in the prison where the mother had been sent, and letters from the former nanny now in her 90s, Maddie McGlade.

The story was not what I expected it to be, but I went into it quite blind as the back of the copy I had didn’t really have a blurb. I went into it not really knowing much, but I quickly became absorbed in the story. I must say that I was rather shocked to discover how the girl dies and the story behind that. It was very interesting to see the aftermath, the trial and how it affected the lives of everyone who knew both the girl and her family.

I also went into it expecting to dislike Harriet (the mother), as she had supposedly killed her daughter. While I do think it was her careless actions that killed Charlotte, I didn’t hate her. Although I can’t exactly say I liked her, I found it very interesting to see how she felt about it, how the tragedy had impacted her life and how it impacted the life of her family. Equally intriguing was seeing the impact it had on Maddie, and her own reflections on it.

I don’t have any standout favourite characters, but I was always interested in exploringthe different sides of the story from each character. I didn’t feel any sort of compassion or sympathy for the mother when she was sent to jail. Whilst she may not have intended to kill her daughter, she was still negligent and tied her up like a horse. I did feel a slight pang of sympathy when her daughter was taken from her in prison, as that must be extremely hard, Nevertheless, it was hard to overlook that she made the horrible decision of tying up her 4-year-old daughter like a horse and leaving her in a cupboard in an empty room,

The story unfolds in 19th-century Ireland. I was intrigued to see how this historical setting impacted things such as the trial process and the nature of the punishment, particularly the prison environment, which, for obvious reasons, was very different back then to modern times.

Overall, I quite liked this book, and I liked the fact that it was a bit like a historical murder mystery. The story was different to what I usually read and although it shocked me at times and the murder horrified me, I enjoyed reading it, and would give it 4 stars.

Have you read The Butterfly Cabinet?

If not, don’t forget to add it to your TBR list.

Happy reading!

Kate x