A colorful, probably-fictional book based on thoughts on an examined life, Edmond E Frank’s THE COURAGE OF A BUTTERFLY stems from a (very) near death experience, and a deal made with ‘Big D’ – the angel of death himself – to be allowed to live; in fact, to be guided to live life more fully. Suffering from blood clots that could lead to his heart stopping at any second, Jeffrey starts to see that light, but strikes a deal to live a little longer. From there, the story spins into a flashback examining his life experiences so far, with an emphasis placed on how he influenced outcomes himself. The book is divided into chapters in which Jeffery’s life is revisited, from a young life exploring the dangerous flood plains of rural canyons to an ultimately unhappy marriage, one that he struggles to see for what it is. The scope if broad and varied, and after each mini adventure retold, Jeffrey encounters Big D are reviews his actions, and their impact on himself and those around him. Frank’s descriptive language is perhaps the text’s greatest strengths, alongside Big D’s witty proclamations and metaphorically slap-like wake up calls to the main character, as he looks back on what he did right and wrong and learns who he is as a person.
The ultimate message, perhaps, is an obvious one: don’t waste life, but live it to the fullest, exploring the world and the people around you. The idea that while you can live life in this comfortable cocoon – in fact it can be east to fall into – you’re the one who loses if you choose to sleepwalk through the life you’re given. The message is obvious from the opening couple of chapters, but that’s not to say the book isn’t an enjoyable, if perhaps a touch overlength, exploration. There are some lovely touches in little asides into what is labelled ‘redneck spirituality’ as an opening to each chapter, and a real new-age, ‘life is what you make it’ vibe that will resonate with a lot of readers, especially those faced with profound and uncomfortable change or a sense of drifting. One thing Frank does really well here is leave it open as to how much of the story is true: he chooses explicitly not to tell readers, and as such it could be anything from a borderline autobiography, to utterly made up. The fact that it’s hard to say for certain which is true really accentuates the ‘real world’ feel of the text, and at the same time its applicability to broader life, with the reader left wondering. A spiritual book, and one 20 years in the making, THE COURAGE OF A BUTTERFLY has plenty to recommend it. It’s more a call to action than a revolution, but with storied presentation and sometimes dark reality checks, it might prove valuable to plenty. To others, it’s bound to seem like entertaining hokum, but for those readers, well, the storytelling aspects are well-presented anyway, so it’s well worth dabbling in.
A motivational, spiritual book about not wasting the gift of life, THE COURAGE OF A BUTTERFLY is a meandering, varied tale intended to deliver a ‘live better’ kick to those who need it. It’s sometimes a touch over done, but for some, may well serve up that change.
~James Hendicott for IndieReader