Member Review
Review by
Mikiko F, Reviewer
This year I've spent a lot of time reading literature from Ireland (more often from The Republic of Ireland), and it's been an incredible journey! So it only felt natural to request Ruth Gilligan's novel "The Butcher's Blessing". The novel started off slowly for me. However, that wasn't the fault of the story; I wasn't giving it my full attention.
Gilligan's novel is told from multiple perspectives. My only complaint about the multiple POVs is that sometimes I wanted to read more from a specific character's perspective. I found myself really enjoying the bildungsroman storylines from Davey and Úna. Since I'm not usually interested in coming-of-age stories, this was a pleasant surprise for me! I thoroughly enjoyed Davey and Úna's determination and unwillingness to conform to gender norms.
One of the other aspects of the novel that I found engrossing was the relationships that the characters had with each other. They're deep, messy and complex. Set against the backdrop of actual events that happened in Ireland (thank goodness I'd done some more research on Irish history!), I felt that the characters were of a place and time that are still alive in the Irish psyche today. While visiting Ireland, you could see, hear and feel remnants of certain moments in history. It's interesting how Gilligan captures the paradox of Ireland's modernity as it exists inside of a staunch mindset that permeates an unwillingness to change...Although, as we're seeing (globally), this isn't only the case in Ireland.
I found myself lost in Gilligan's storytelling and have plans to read more from her backlist in the near future, because the connection to place and land in her novel was so poignant in comparison to other novels I've read but haven't felt a connection to (with the exception of both Kevin Barry's "Night Boat to Tangier" and Dorothy Macardle's "Dark Enchantment").
I would highly recommend Ruth Gilligan's "The Butcher's Blessing" to book lovers of Irish literature, bildungsroman stories or those who love to get lost in a tangle of love, loss and hope.
Many thanks to Tin House Books for kindly letting me read and review an ARC of Gilligan's novel.
Gilligan's novel is told from multiple perspectives. My only complaint about the multiple POVs is that sometimes I wanted to read more from a specific character's perspective. I found myself really enjoying the bildungsroman storylines from Davey and Úna. Since I'm not usually interested in coming-of-age stories, this was a pleasant surprise for me! I thoroughly enjoyed Davey and Úna's determination and unwillingness to conform to gender norms.
One of the other aspects of the novel that I found engrossing was the relationships that the characters had with each other. They're deep, messy and complex. Set against the backdrop of actual events that happened in Ireland (thank goodness I'd done some more research on Irish history!), I felt that the characters were of a place and time that are still alive in the Irish psyche today. While visiting Ireland, you could see, hear and feel remnants of certain moments in history. It's interesting how Gilligan captures the paradox of Ireland's modernity as it exists inside of a staunch mindset that permeates an unwillingness to change...Although, as we're seeing (globally), this isn't only the case in Ireland.
I found myself lost in Gilligan's storytelling and have plans to read more from her backlist in the near future, because the connection to place and land in her novel was so poignant in comparison to other novels I've read but haven't felt a connection to (with the exception of both Kevin Barry's "Night Boat to Tangier" and Dorothy Macardle's "Dark Enchantment").
I would highly recommend Ruth Gilligan's "The Butcher's Blessing" to book lovers of Irish literature, bildungsroman stories or those who love to get lost in a tangle of love, loss and hope.
Many thanks to Tin House Books for kindly letting me read and review an ARC of Gilligan's novel.
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