A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies - by John Murray (Paperback)

About the Book

A stunning and critically acclaimed debut short story collection that is being called "a cross between Oliver Sack's case histories and Andrea Barrett's fictional explorations of scientific adventures."--"New York Times."

From the Back Cover

These vivid and compelling tales, many set in Africa and Asia, are about immigrants and others facing change and dislocation. The science is never pedantic; indeed the language of biology and natural history is used to great lyrical effect. The stories are accomplished and seasoned, remarkably so given that this is the author's first book. Murray is adept at holding together a complex narrative and creating characters who reach out emotionally to the reader upon first meeting.

Global in scope, classical in form, evocative of place, and deeply emotional, this collection marks the beginning of what promises to be an illustrious career.

Review Quotes

"Remarkable...marks the debut of an extraordinary American writer." - Buffalo News
"As gorgeous and breathtaking as the winged marvels of the title...stories such as these remind us what constitutes humanity." - San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
"The eight stories in John Murray's first short-story collection achieve, individually and - collectively, an extraordinary impact and depth." - San Diego Tribune
"Vibrant debut story collection...Murray's prose is strong and agile...the affecting portraits make this collection emotionally resonant and enormously gratifying" - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Stunning short story collection...writer to watch." - Booklist (starred)
"As gorgeous and breathtaking as the winged marvels of the title. Compassionate stories such as these remind us what constitutes humanity." - San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
"Remarkable. These are intelligent, sensitive stories. Readers will do well to watch for more from this gifted writer." - Charlotte Observer
"Ambitious, varied, and strong.... To say that Murray...is a prodigious talent is something of an understatement." - Joyce Carol Oates, New York Review of Books
"Writing that bristles with emotive power." - Library Journal
"Brilliant.... How lucky for all of us that he chose to write fiction." - Ann Patchett, author of Bel Canto
"These stories linger with you like a delicious aftertaste." - Abraham Verghese, author of My Own Country and The Tennis Partner
"Elegant...sensitive. His writing talent has no limit." - Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"Brilliant...Murray weaves his experience...into gorgeous narratives." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Beguiling...an astute debut collection." - Book Forum
"A terrific collection. - Washington Post Book World
"This wise, compassionate and exquisite book valiantly wrestles with the eternal dichotomy of mind and body." - Los Angeles Times
"Murray's debut collection...looms like an alp above the tundra of trivia so much contemporary fiction consists of....You leave his stories feeling you have been in the company not just of an impressive writer but of an impressive human being." - Jack Kemp, Sunday Times (London)
"Compelling, compassionate, and quietly inspirational, each of these modest tales is as satisfying as a novel ...exquisite." - Daily Mail (London)
"You leave his stories feeling you have been in the company....of an impressive writer [and] human being." - Jack Kemp, Sunday Times (London)
"Iridescent" - The Observer (UK)
"Fiction that holds firmly to scientific principles and comes with a harrowing edge of reality." - International Herald Tribune
"A cross between Oliver Sack's case histories and Andrea Barrett's fictional explorations of scientific adventures." - Mel Gussow, New York Times
"Stories that are as affecting as they are suspenseful....Mr. Murray has made an impressive and assured debut." - Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
"Brilliant...Murray weaves his experience...into gorgeous narratives." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Murray's stories are a genuine cultural breakthrough....Adventures of the mind, rich in human feeling...departures from any other...fiction. - Muriel Spark
"Teeming with...high-stakes wisdom, Murray's stories offer a map of possibility where anything can happen." - Boston Globe
Murray's stories are what you might get if you combined Ethan Canin, Andrea Barrett and Jhumpa Lahiri with Anton Chekhov. - San Francisco Chronicle Book Review