The Butcher's Daughter

I enjoy a retelling of a classic tale from an unfamiliar perspective. I have read about Sherlock Holmes from the point of view of almost everyone he ever met. I have read about Beowulf written by his niece. King Authur, Robin Hood, many others, but never a character as dark as Sweeny Todd. The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was crazed enough for one story, but what about Mrs Lovett the Pie Maker who lived downstairs, so ready to make meat of men? David Demchuk and Corinne Leigh Clark tell this untold tale in The Butcher’s Daughter. 

A woman sits in a Nunnery having lived there for decades, but as her years advance, she feels the need to get things off her chest, but what are these things? In a series of letters to a young journalist, Margaret Evans sets out on telling her story from being a butcher’s daughter, a doctor’s housekeeper, and a Lady in Waiting. As the truth unfolds it starts to become obvious that Margaret’s life was not an easy one and that Margaret was not always her name. Will the truth come out before the authorities arrive? 

Butcher’s Daughter is not only an interesting retelling of a well-known story, but it is also told in an interesting manner. Rather than being contemporary to Sweeny Todd, it is as written decades later, retelling the past with a fresh perspective. This is in the series of letters, mostly between Margaret and a journalist, but there are also clippings from newspapers and letters sent to the journalist as they investigate Margaret’s story. This is a perfect way of leaving sections on a cliffhanger as one letter ends, and you must wait for the next. 

Although an interesting idea, each letter starts formally but soon drift into a normal narrative fiction style. I found it odd that someone in a nunnery would write in such a prose style. A letter is normally more conversational in style, and this only happens at the start and end of each letter. This does make the narrative easier to follow, but it felt like a token idea, rather than one followed through. 

Despite the letters reading inauthentically in places, it did not distract from the story itself, in fact the style of letter helped. Butcher’s Daughter is a wonderfully dark tale, and one that builds up nicely. We suspect the truth early, but it is not all slit throats and pies. That is left to the final third. Instead, we are given a tour of early Victorian London from the perspective of a poor woman. Margaret’s roles in the butcher’s and doctors would lead into later life. Not only in the skills picked up, but also her mentality to meat. 

In most, the book is not sinister and does not paint the likes of Margaret or Mrs Lovett in the worst light. Instead, it is a classic historic feel you would get in any good costume drama. This is just a drama that ends in horrendous crimes. With a few small turns in fortune, Margaret’s life would have been quite different. Instead, she must deal with the life that she lived and the memories and regrets this provided. 

There are a few key moments in the life of Margaret that dictates how she will live. She has strong motivations, but does she turn too quickly? Throughout the book Demchuk and Clark hint at a coldness to Margaret’s personality, so when she needs to act quickly, she does without hesitation. Is there enough in Margaret’s past to justify her actions? I was not sure and felt things went a little psychotic too quickly. 

Although there are a few issues with this book, they are insignificant compared to how entertaining it is to read. It is a pacy story that is full of menace. Margaret is a protagonist you can understand, even when her actions are off-piste at times. The book is part historic fiction novel, part thriller, part horror. Fans of the latter will very much enjoy the dark conclusion to the book, a wisp of black humour that hides throughout the pages.