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mh_books 's review for:
The Butchers
by Ruth Gilligan
So probably 4 stars to the midpoint and then 5 for there on in
Ruth Gilligan tells an intreating tale of rural Ireland in 1996. Set during the BSE/CJD (Mad Cow) crisis, its a story of family, traditions that pull us all together, and the things that tear us apart.
Based upon a presumably fictional piece of folklore. Can folklore be called fictional? Well, I have never heard it before anyway so I assume this is Ruth’s fiction. In this version of 1996, there exists a set of pagan believers that believe in a widow's curse that all cattle should be killed in a ritualistic manner and by hand in the presence of eight men. These men are simply called the Butchers. During the BSE crisis of 1996, the Butchers were disbanded thus ending hundreds of years of traditions and beliefs. Twenty years later in 2018, there is a photograph of a dead Butcher hung like a slab of beef - so what happened? Who died and why?
We hear the story from the opinions of Uná, Grá, Fionn, and Davey all of which have some connection to the Butchers and all of which have their own path of self-discovery to make. The characters deal with issues of guilt, loneliness, faith, gender, sexuality, mortality, and human connections in a society that does not yet have the vocabulary to deal with them never mind the willingness to confront them. Instead, they live in a world of greed, corruption, and Cattle Kings, where discussion in the Pub revolves around the current price of beef and the latest border raid for beef.
On a personal note (as ultimately all literature is reflected through its reader) I particularly enjoyed the reference to the pagan traditions practiced by the Catholics throughout the novel and the confusion over what was catholic and what was pagan (St Brigid being the same person as the Goddess Brigid for example). The McDonalds arriving into town reminded me of meeting somebody from Monaghan in 1996 and her explaining that Monaghan now has a McDonalds in her introduction.
Oh, and of course there is the ending. Without meaning too I understood what was happening two thirds through and the buildup to the ending is going to push a lot of readers to continue reading to the wee hours. It doesn’t disappoint.
This book is recommended to people who love mystery, rural Irish settings, characterisations, Irish folklore and traditions, and the 1990’s nostalgia. People who are worried about the gore implied by the title should know there is no explicit violence. The rituals are explained pre and post-slaughter but the event itself is merely implied. Though sometimes that can be worse.
Ruth Gilligan tells an intreating tale of rural Ireland in 1996. Set during the BSE/CJD (Mad Cow) crisis, its a story of family, traditions that pull us all together, and the things that tear us apart.
Based upon a presumably fictional piece of folklore. Can folklore be called fictional? Well, I have never heard it before anyway so I assume this is Ruth’s fiction. In this version of 1996, there exists a set of pagan believers that believe in a widow's curse that all cattle should be killed in a ritualistic manner and by hand in the presence of eight men. These men are simply called the Butchers. During the BSE crisis of 1996, the Butchers were disbanded thus ending hundreds of years of traditions and beliefs. Twenty years later in 2018, there is a photograph of a dead Butcher hung like a slab of beef - so what happened? Who died and why?
We hear the story from the opinions of Uná, Grá, Fionn, and Davey all of which have some connection to the Butchers and all of which have their own path of self-discovery to make. The characters deal with issues of guilt, loneliness, faith, gender, sexuality, mortality, and human connections in a society that does not yet have the vocabulary to deal with them never mind the willingness to confront them. Instead, they live in a world of greed, corruption, and Cattle Kings, where discussion in the Pub revolves around the current price of beef and the latest border raid for beef.
On a personal note (as ultimately all literature is reflected through its reader) I particularly enjoyed the reference to the pagan traditions practiced by the Catholics throughout the novel and the confusion over what was catholic and what was pagan (St Brigid being the same person as the Goddess Brigid for example). The McDonalds arriving into town reminded me of meeting somebody from Monaghan in 1996 and her explaining that Monaghan now has a McDonalds in her introduction.
Oh, and of course there is the ending. Without meaning too I understood what was happening two thirds through and the buildup to the ending is going to push a lot of readers to continue reading to the wee hours. It doesn’t disappoint.
This book is recommended to people who love mystery, rural Irish settings, characterisations, Irish folklore and traditions, and the 1990’s nostalgia. People who are worried about the gore implied by the title should know there is no explicit violence. The rituals are explained pre and post-slaughter but the event itself is merely implied. Though sometimes that can be worse.