*e-copy sent to me free of charge to enable me to take part in the blog tour. Today I'm on the blog tour for the amazing The Butchers by Ruth Gilligan.
A photograph is hung on a gallery wall for the very first time since it was taken two decades before. It shows a slaughter house in rural Ireland, a painting of the Virgin Mary on the wall, a meat hook suspended from the ceiling - and, from its sharp point, the lifeless body of a man hanging by his feet.
The story of who he is and how he got there casts back into Irish folklore, of widows cursing the land and of the men who slaughter its cattle by hand. But modern Ireland is distrustful of ancient traditions, and as the BSE crisis in England presents get-rich opportunities in Ireland, few care about The Butchers, the eight men who roam the country, slaughtering the cows of those who still have faith in the old ways. Few care, that is, except for Fionn, the husband of a dying woman who still believes; their son Davey, who has fallen in love with the youngest of the Butchers; Gra, the lonely wife of one of the eight; and her 12-year-old daughter, Una, a girl who will grow up to carry a knife like her father, and who will be the one finally to avenge the man in the photograph.
The story of who he is and how he got there casts back into Irish folklore, of widows cursing the land and of the men who slaughter its cattle by hand. But modern Ireland is distrustful of ancient traditions, and as the BSE crisis in England presents get-rich opportunities in Ireland, few care about The Butchers, the eight men who roam the country, slaughtering the cows of those who still have faith in the old ways. Few care, that is, except for Fionn, the husband of a dying woman who still believes; their son Davey, who has fallen in love with the youngest of the Butchers; Gra, the lonely wife of one of the eight; and her 12-year-old daughter, Una, a girl who will grow up to carry a knife like her father, and who will be the one finally to avenge the man in the photograph.
My thoughts?
The story is set in Ireland in 1996 and follows a group of butchers who are believers. As folklore goes they honour the Farmer's Widow. Those who believe, believe that there should be 8 men present and 8 hands touching the hide as the beast is slaughtered, going from this life to the next. They work 11 months of the year travelling around the country calling on the believers and killing their beasts.
BSE is rife in the UK and the Irish are worried that it'll come over the water. Gra and her daughter Una spend a lot of time alone without her husband and dad, and Gra's sister, who left to marry a non-believer has been banished. Her sister's husband, Fionn is struggling to make ends meet so revives his smuggling skills while their son, Davey discovers he's not like the other boys, having ditched his girlfriend only to fall head-over-heels for the youngest butcher. Una, has always believed she'll carry on the tradition regardless of being a girl.
One of the eight dies in mysterious circumstances and the others feel they can't go on. Twenty-two years later Una, while visiting New York City meets the photographer her mum was friendly with way back then. That photograph, of one of the eight is in the gallery for all to see and this urges Una on to seek justice...
An absolutely cracking, atmospheric read which I thoroughly recommend.
One of the eight dies in mysterious circumstances and the others feel they can't go on. Twenty-two years later Una, while visiting New York City meets the photographer her mum was friendly with way back then. That photograph, of one of the eight is in the gallery for all to see and this urges Una on to seek justice...
An absolutely cracking, atmospheric read which I thoroughly recommend.
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