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flissreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I loved the book throughout but the ending was the weakest part.
joshstandrew's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ekastanis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
desterman's review against another edition
5.0
'The Butcher’s Blessing' (2020) by Ruth Gilligan is set in the north of Ireland, near the border, in 1996. It is an interesting time with Ireland becoming more socially progressive, despite some of the tensions this causes, and on the cusp of an economic boom. In amongst this vicissitude is a group of followers of an ancient curse. Their core belief is that if eight men do not touch every cow as it is slaughtered, a pestilence will fall over the land. So, for most of the year, eight men travel from farm to farm, performing the ritual slaughtering of cattle for the dwindling number of believers.
In amongst this are two families – the “butcher” Cuch, his isolated and unhappy wife Grá, and their young teenage daughter Úna, who is struggling with her beliefs and identity. In another town not far is farmer Fionn, who holds a healthy skepticism towards the butchers and their dying faith. His wife, Eileen, is battling a brain tumor, while their son Davey completes his final year of school, keen to escape into a new life of which he can only dream.
The arrival of mad cow disease in Britain and its implications for these communities creates a stark contrast between the capitalism and corruption driving modern economics in the region and the simplicity and purity of the butchers and their beliefs.
The novel is told in past tense through the eyes of all the protagonists who have chapters framed from their perspectives, while in present tense there are ‘Interludes’ focused on Irish American photographer Ronan who has put together a large exhibition of his work in modern day New York. He spends much time considering an image he took in Ireland at this time, of a corpse found hanging from hooks put through his feet in an old cold storage shed.
This was one of those rare novels I’d never heard of when a colleague at work pushed it into my hand, promising a compelling and thrilling read. She told me nothing about it but asked me to come and discuss it with her when I’d finished it. Her recommendation didn’t disappoint.
This novel is one that still lingers in the mind long after reading the final pages. It is such an original concept and works so well with the setting of the outbreak of a disease that the public found so terrifying at the time. Whilst the references to time and place are a bit clunky and obvious at times, it doesn’t detract from such a committed and well shaped narrative. The language is poetic and vivid, offering an excellent array of characters suppressing their inner lives and secrets to maintain the stability of their families. There is a strong focus on the imagery of both nature and food – both giving sustenance in different ways to the characters. It explores the relationships between men and women; the formative years of adolescence; the tension between the modern and old; the pros and cons of capitalism; violence; loyalty; and the ties of family. It also probes the power of belief and tradition through its unique creation of fictional folklore.
The thing I loved most about this novel is the way it builds with tension so gently and gradually. It creates a consistently unnerving, unsettling tone throughout, like a large, giant tidal wave coming in from the horizon – the pace just enough to keep you entranced. The final pages are really something too with the ending being as unpredictable as it is shocking. I loved every minute of it! What a find!
In amongst this are two families – the “butcher” Cuch, his isolated and unhappy wife Grá, and their young teenage daughter Úna, who is struggling with her beliefs and identity. In another town not far is farmer Fionn, who holds a healthy skepticism towards the butchers and their dying faith. His wife, Eileen, is battling a brain tumor, while their son Davey completes his final year of school, keen to escape into a new life of which he can only dream.
The arrival of mad cow disease in Britain and its implications for these communities creates a stark contrast between the capitalism and corruption driving modern economics in the region and the simplicity and purity of the butchers and their beliefs.
The novel is told in past tense through the eyes of all the protagonists who have chapters framed from their perspectives, while in present tense there are ‘Interludes’ focused on Irish American photographer Ronan who has put together a large exhibition of his work in modern day New York. He spends much time considering an image he took in Ireland at this time, of a corpse found hanging from hooks put through his feet in an old cold storage shed.
This was one of those rare novels I’d never heard of when a colleague at work pushed it into my hand, promising a compelling and thrilling read. She told me nothing about it but asked me to come and discuss it with her when I’d finished it. Her recommendation didn’t disappoint.
This novel is one that still lingers in the mind long after reading the final pages. It is such an original concept and works so well with the setting of the outbreak of a disease that the public found so terrifying at the time. Whilst the references to time and place are a bit clunky and obvious at times, it doesn’t detract from such a committed and well shaped narrative. The language is poetic and vivid, offering an excellent array of characters suppressing their inner lives and secrets to maintain the stability of their families. There is a strong focus on the imagery of both nature and food – both giving sustenance in different ways to the characters. It explores the relationships between men and women; the formative years of adolescence; the tension between the modern and old; the pros and cons of capitalism; violence; loyalty; and the ties of family. It also probes the power of belief and tradition through its unique creation of fictional folklore.
The thing I loved most about this novel is the way it builds with tension so gently and gradually. It creates a consistently unnerving, unsettling tone throughout, like a large, giant tidal wave coming in from the horizon – the pace just enough to keep you entranced. The final pages are really something too with the ending being as unpredictable as it is shocking. I loved every minute of it! What a find!
carolinerosereads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
andtheitoldyousos's review against another edition
5.0
What makes a tradition a tradition? How and when do we pass from routine to ritual, and ritual to sacred rite? How do we decide what it kept, what is left behind, and what must be destroyed for the good of the future?
Ruth Gilligan knows, but she will not give us any easy answers. Instead, she gives us snapshots; a literal photograph sets us in motion, but glimpses into the life of "modern Ireland" connect the pieces by stringing one red knot to another.
In 1996, Úna is standing at the precipice of the future while flinging herself back into the past. She is the daughter of a Butcher; Butchers travel the countryside in a group of eight, following the old ways of cattle slaughter by protecting Ireland from disease, wrath and woe. The people of the peaty hills and desolate borderlands used to revere the Butchers, but their days of respect are limited. People are forgetting the old ways. People are pushing back against those who haven't forgotten. The power of the Catholic church is falling while the Celtic Tiger rises, but the lore of the Butchers is even older and less stable than that of the church.
Cattle from England are getting sick, and they are sickening others around them. BSE (Mad Cow) is rotting their brains, and Ireland stands to rise out of the mud on the backs of clean and safe beef. Men make dangerous choices, women bare the brunt of disasters, and children attempt to free themselves from folklore and poverty by eating McDonalds and listening to the Spice Girls on the radio.
While these people are steeped in mythology, the world they come from is very real. Violence waits around every turn. The people of the border counties have only just recovered from The Troubles; they're only just finding forgotten appliances tossed into the muck and mire instead of bodies. Divorce is just recently legal, but it is still a largely masculine world should one attempt to go it alone. Tradition makes and breaks success.
Much of the folklore woven throughout the tale is "true"; as in there is a record of oral tradition, but Gilligan builds her own folklore around the Butchers and the men that wear their triple-knotted boots and thick overalls. The power of myth is terrifying; Gilligan creates the Butchers, but the people around them; their families, clients, and naysayers create their mythic power.
*I received this ARC from the Tin House Galley Club in exchange for a fair and honest review
Ruth Gilligan knows, but she will not give us any easy answers. Instead, she gives us snapshots; a literal photograph sets us in motion, but glimpses into the life of "modern Ireland" connect the pieces by stringing one red knot to another.
In 1996, Úna is standing at the precipice of the future while flinging herself back into the past. She is the daughter of a Butcher; Butchers travel the countryside in a group of eight, following the old ways of cattle slaughter by protecting Ireland from disease, wrath and woe. The people of the peaty hills and desolate borderlands used to revere the Butchers, but their days of respect are limited. People are forgetting the old ways. People are pushing back against those who haven't forgotten. The power of the Catholic church is falling while the Celtic Tiger rises, but the lore of the Butchers is even older and less stable than that of the church.
Cattle from England are getting sick, and they are sickening others around them. BSE (Mad Cow) is rotting their brains, and Ireland stands to rise out of the mud on the backs of clean and safe beef. Men make dangerous choices, women bare the brunt of disasters, and children attempt to free themselves from folklore and poverty by eating McDonalds and listening to the Spice Girls on the radio.
While these people are steeped in mythology, the world they come from is very real. Violence waits around every turn. The people of the border counties have only just recovered from The Troubles; they're only just finding forgotten appliances tossed into the muck and mire instead of bodies. Divorce is just recently legal, but it is still a largely masculine world should one attempt to go it alone. Tradition makes and breaks success.
Much of the folklore woven throughout the tale is "true"; as in there is a record of oral tradition, but Gilligan builds her own folklore around the Butchers and the men that wear their triple-knotted boots and thick overalls. The power of myth is terrifying; Gilligan creates the Butchers, but the people around them; their families, clients, and naysayers create their mythic power.
*I received this ARC from the Tin House Galley Club in exchange for a fair and honest review
exelone31's review against another edition
3.0
A thriller that builds, but something just didn’t quite resonate with me.
gertrude22's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5