The Butterfly Plague

The Butterfly Plague is Timothy Findley's second novel, first published in 1969.

It is Hollywood 1938. A great star is planning a stunning comeback, while another is bent on self-destruction. And, as dark clouds hang ominously over Europe, hordes of Monarch butterflies swarm beautifully but menacingly over Hollywood.

Against a colourful background of butterflies and beaches, Timothy Findley skillfully phases reality into nightmare, exploring mothers' relationships to their sons, women's relationships to men, beauty's relationship to evil. Blending biting humour with a compassionate perception of despair, The Butterfly Plague presents the movie world in all its splendour and decay.