The Slaughterman's Daughter

I was attracted to this book because of the absolutely stunning cover but the story is darker than it suggests. The Slaughterman's Daughter is a historical adventure, set in the late 19th century in the Pale of Settlement (an area of Imperial Russia including Belarus and parts of Poland) where Jews were forced to live. The publishers have described the story as being a cross between Quentin Tarantino and Fiddler on the Roof, and that pretty much sums it up! If you're looking for a book that is a little bit different, this is the read for you.

In the isolated, godforsaken town of Motal husbands go missing on a regular basis (they've usually run off in search of a better life) but never wives and mothers. So when Fanny Keismann - devoted wife, mother of five, and celebrated cheese-maker - leaves her home in the middle of the night, the town is aghast. Rumours regarding her disappearance rapidly circulate, some of which even turn out to be true.

The Slaughterman's Daughter is basically Fanny's attempt to find her missing brother-in-law and persuade (force!) him to come home. As she sets off on her road trip, everything that could go wrong does, unwittingly involving all kinds of innocent (and not so innocent) people, until the highest powers become convinced the country is on the brink of revolution. It is a rollicking story that shows how the simplest actions and purest thoughts can quickly lead to disaster.

There is a serious message running through The Slaughterman's Daughter but there is also humour. I loved the titular character of Fanny, who hacks her way through the story in a very Tarantino way! (There is the occasional scene of mild gore.) The other characters are utterly believable and completely engaging; I even found myself sympathising with the the villains. There are multiple points of view and we learn every character's backstory. As fascinating as these tales-within-a-tale were, they did slow down the pace quite a lot. But if take-you-by-the-throat characters, seat-of-your-pants action, and oodles of authentic atmosphere are your thing, you will definitely love this. Personally, I'd love to see it made into a movie...


Thank you to Yaniv Iczkovits and MacLehose Press (Quercus) for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

The Slaughterman’s Daughter is one of the only books I’ve ever read which truly merits comparison to War and Peace in its scope and masterful characterisation. This epic historical adventure is told with expertly curated chaos and plenty of dark humour.

I always find longer reads require commitment, and The Slaughterman’s Daughter is no exception. However, the story never dragged – instead, the pages flew by. The patchwork storytelling crackles with life, the voices of each character bringing their world to life with nuance and vivacity. Every time I felt the narrative was going off on a tangent, it turned out to be perfectly weighted – a necessary detour. The meandering structure reminded me of literary greats such as Les Miserables, chaotic but always accessible. It’s an incredibly difficult style to pull off, but Iczkovits has managed it.

The Slaughterman’s Daughter is a wild ride from start to finish, a thoroughly enjoyable epic adventure.

Five stars to the cover too – that’s a real work of art!

Forget ‘War and Peace’ Read this instead! A rollercoaster of an adventure set in Tsarist Russia starring Religious Jews and a mission to track down a missing husband. Huge background detail to the times and religious beliefs and observances of the Jewish people. An immersion in Yiddish and Jewish lifestyle of the time, Set in a land of isolation and mistrust. An absolute delight to read.

A thousand thanks to #NetGalley for the advance copy which I devoured.

The writing of this book is so beautiful, I just loved it, it felt a bit longer than it needed to be, but because I loved the writers style so much I forgive it ! It’s a captivating read with humour, imagination, darkness and drama, it also taught me a lot about Jewish culture, a wonderful and beautifully written story

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion