When Sophie Edgar welcomes her husband Thomas back from an expedition to the Amazon in 1904, she is shocked by the transformation that has come over him. For one thing, Thomas, who appears to be in some kind of catatonic state, steadfastly refuses to say a word to her or anyone else. And then there are the strange welts on his back and the nasty wound on his arm. Whatever Thomas has witnessed or experienced, while engaged in the seemingly innocent activity of collecting butterflies, there's no doubt it has had a devastating effect on him, both body and soul. Here is a man who has been damaged more than injured. In truth, he is no longer the man he was, the man Sophie married. Will she ever get ‘her Thomas’ back? Or must she find a way to love the man he has become?

This beautifully written and gripping historical novel tells its story through the dual points of view of Sophie and Thomas. Sophie's chapters are written in the present tense and describe her efforts to understand what has happened to Thomas, and her struggle to help him and rescue their marriage. The chapters told from Thomas's point of view take us to the inescapable heart of darkness that lies beneath the veneer of civilisation and prosperity. The journey is compelling and vividly evoked.

King creates a wonderfully varied and well delineated cast of characters, including the charismatic and dangerous Santos, the Anglophile rubber baron whose money funds the scientists' expedition. As Thomas’s eyes are opened to a series of unpalatable truths, his dream turns sour and his innocence is revealed as naivety. His own guilt and corruption overwhelm him.

The Sound of Butterflies is an extremely accomplished debut, with story, pacing and character development – or rather disintegration - all handled with enviable confidence and judgement. What impresses most, however, is the sheer quality of the writing, which is all the more powerful for its restraint.

Sounds compelling, Roger. Another one for my massive reading pile!

Dee