A Few Short Notes on T(r)opical Butterflies
John Murray's 2003 debut collection of short stories A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies is a striking book. Using the obvious symbolism of butterflies, Murray weaves stories that examine identity, insecurity and dysfunctional relationships. Each of the eight short stories are thematically related but hold their own in examining particular aspects of life in great detail. The author's descriptions of setting and emotion are richly different because of the use of a biological/medical vocabulary.
The protagonists are typically physicians, surgeons or biologists with a marked obsession for order and detail. John Murray trained as a doctor and has worked on child-health programs in several third-world countries and he uses his real-world experience to perfection in the stories in this book.
I enjoyed the title story and the last one in the collection called Acts of Memory, Wisdom of Man. Both these stories have an Indian connection while others have African or Asian influence. This is a very different collection of stories. Crisply put, striking and unique. Recommended.
