Butcher & Blackbird

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 7

Chapters 8-11

Chapters 12-16

Chapters 17-21

Chapter 22-Bonus Chapter

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

The Ethics of Vigilante Justice

Content Warning: This section discusses child abuse, sexual abuse, and cannibalism.

Butcher & Blackbird explores the complicated ethics of vigilante justice through the protagonists, Sloane and Rowan, who both specialize in killing serial killers and people who commit other heinous acts such as child abuse. Both protagonists feel that they render the world a better place by ridding it of the “monsters” that they kill, although both also worry that, since they are technically serial killers themselves, they might be monsters just like their victims are. The novel calls the ethics of Sloane and Rowan’s actions into question but ultimately postulates that their noble motivations outweigh the moral problems with ending a human life and the fact that both Sloane and Rowan derive pleasure from punishing others. The novel humanizes the protagonists while emphasizing the monstrosity of their victims, suggesting that the murderous actions of the protagonists are morally complex or even “good” as opposed to evil. However, the ending of the novel hints that vigilante justice has broader repercussions that Sloane and Rowan will face in the sequel.

To increase the reader’s empathy for the protagonists, the author delves into backstories detailing each protagonist’s first kill and the motivations behind it. Both protagonists commit their first murders to protect their loved ones and to prevent abusive individuals from perpetrating further harm. They then pledge to rid the earth of similarly monstrous individuals in the future. From the novel’s point of view, this makes both protagonists fundamentally loyal, protective, and even morally upstanding people. After killing a teacher who abused her best friend, Sloane vowed that she would find “the worst, the darkest, the most depraved, and [she] would erase them from the world, one at a time. […] [She] would never let anyone hurt someone [she] cared about ever again” (125). Rowan killed his father, who was abusive to him and his brothers. Afterward, “when [he] met someone else that reminded [him] of [his father] a short while later, [he] realized there was nothing stopping [him] from doing it again. […] it became a kind of sport, to find the worst person [he] could and wipe them off the planet forever” (185-86). Whereas Rowan and Sloane’s victims make the world a worse place by abusing children or murdering innocent victims, Rowan and Sloane endeavor to make it a better place by protecting their loved ones and ridding the world of evil, one person at a time. This suggests that, despite the killing, Rowan and Sloane are fundamentally different and more moral than their victims. The novel thus frames their motives as altruistic, though their actions are violent.

Furthermore, the novel emphasizes the monstrosity of Rowan and Sloane’s victims while withholding any information that might humanize them, such as their thoughts, feelings, motivations, or backstories. Very little time is spent describing most of them; instead, the narrative, which is filtered through Sloan or Rowan’s perspectives, lingers on the heinous nature of their crimes. Each person that Sloane and Rowan kill commits a host of reprehensible crimes including physical and sexual child abuse, sexual abuse of students, murdering their medical patients, voyeurism, cannibalism, drugging people without their knowledge, and more. The novel strongly implies that these people were more of a danger to the world than a blessing and that therefore murdering them is a moral act. Before killing Harvey Mead, Sloane reflects that “I want to nail him to the floorboards of his horror house and carve out his eyes, knowing I’m the one who stopped him from ever taking another life. I want him to feel what his victims felt” (159). The novel suggests that, with Sloane and Rowan’s victims gone, the world is a safer place, and that therefore, Sloane and Rowan have done the world a service by killing these people.

Still, the novel raises questions about the morality of Sloane and Rowan’s actions, too, some of which remain unresolved. Both protagonists admit to having the urge to kill, and both confess that they take satisfaction not only in removing evil from the world by in the act of killing itself. Sloane relishes torturing her victims and desecrates their corpses to create elaborate art installations. Sloane and Rowan share these urges and traits in common with their victims—the only difference is the types of victims that they choose. The fact that the narration is in the first person—either Sloane’s or Rowan’s voice—means that it reflects their beliefs and self-justifications, but whether their motives justify murder or how truly different they are from their serial killer victims remains open for debate. In fact, both Sloane and Rowan recognize these issues: They each worry at times that they are just as “monstrous” as their victims, and the novel ends with Rowan concluding that being monsters is part of what makes them compatible. Finally, the Epilogue of the novel points to another complication of vigilante justice that they will face in the sequel: The sibling of one of Rowan’s victims seeks revenge on him for murdering their brother, suggesting that vigilante justice begets more pain and death, not less.

The Complexities of Love in Dark Circumstances

Butcher & Blackbird suggests that forming a relationship under unconventional and dark circumstances is complex and difficult, but nonetheless possible and, if achieved, rewarding. In addition to the challenges of forming a romantic relationship under “normal” circumstances, Sloane and Rowan face additional complications due to their shared hobby of killing serial killers. At first, they experience feelings of competition, envy, anxiety about being caught, fear of their potential victims and of each other, and worry that they are themselves “monstrous” and unlovable. Additionally, after having to keep their activities, motivations, and passions a secret from most people for so long, both characters find emotional vulnerability and honesty to be difficult. Sloane reflects that “revenge is easy. But everything else is hard” (88), meaning that, ironically, romance is harder for her than murder is. The fact that it takes Sloane and Rowan years after meeting to establish a legitimate romantic relationship, despite having mutual romantic feelings for each other from the beginning, is a testament to the extent of challenges they face under their particular unconventional, dark circumstances.

One romantic challenge that Sloane and Rowan face is the constant fear of losing each other, which exists both before and after they officially enter a relationship. Since they are both serial killers, each of them worries briefly that the other might kill them, which makes them both hesitant to meet up again for the competition, let alone trust each other in a relationship. Although both protagonists eventually realize that the other is not a direct threat to them, this does not negate the possibility of losing each other in other ways. When Sloane is late to dinner, Rowan worries that she has been arrested, even though she is really just waiting on her friend Lark. This illustrates how the constant threat of loss and separation weighs on the characters psychologically. Their murder competition is also incredibly dangerous because they are targeting notorious serial killers; every year, there is a chance that one or both of them will not survive the game. Yet they do not stop “hunting” serial killers because they both have an “itch” that is impossible to “scratch” except by killing villains. Although the characters keep up their shenanigans, over time, they make some changes to increase their chances of survival and safety, demonstrating their commitment to each other.

Perhaps the most significant challenge Sloane and Rowan face romantically is their mutual worry that they are “monstrous,” unworthy, undeserving, and unlovable. They doubt whether the other person could view them in a romantic light and whether they should enter a romantic relationship, even if the other person does want it. Sloane worries that “We can be monsters, and maybe we don’t deserve the same things that other people do. Happiness. Affection. Love” (149). Although Sloane feels like she’s doing the world a favor by killing her chosen victims, she simultaneously worries that, because she murders and tortures those victims in brutal ways, she is a monster who is incapable of loving or being loved; this creates a massive barrier that takes years to overcome. Likewise, Rowan thinks that “maybe it’s best that she gets as far away from me as she can” because “we’re both monsters […] [and] I’m fucking feral at the core” (66). He also worries that being with him will lead to Sloane’s “destruction,” even if he does not intend for this to happen. Ultimately, they both resolve to give love a chance when they discover that it helps “scratch” the same “itch” that murder does with less danger and less immoral activity involved. They sense that the other person might benefit from love, making their feelings for each other truly altruistic.

Despite the challenges associated with establishing a romantic relationship under dark circumstances, the novel suggests that love and acceptance can have healing powers that render those circumstances less bleak. The love between Sloane and Rowan is uniquely powerful because they understand and accept the darkest parts of each other. As Rowan remarks, “I bet I know the darkest parts of you better than anyone. Just like you know the darkest parts of me. And despite that, you still want to hang out with me […] So, I think that makes you my friend” (92-93). Instead of loving a false version of Sloane or ignoring the undesirable parts, Rowan embraces her true self, allowing a genuine, healing version of love to grow. Rowan also remarks “You have never been unlovable. You were just waiting for someone who will love you for who you are, not for who they want you to be. I can do that, if you’ll let me” (302). This illustrates how, sometimes, dark circumstances can result in a uniquely healthy and transformative type of love. Sloane remarks “There’s relief knowing I can love and be loved, after years wondering if I was so broken that there was room only for vengeance and loneliness in my heart. And I think I see the release of that burden reflected in Rowan’s eyes too” (250). Although their situation is still “dark” at the novel’s end, both characters find peace and happiness together, whereas before, they constantly felt an unscratchable itch and crushing loneliness. At the end, Rowan realizes that “We are not normal people. We are monsters. But if we’re monsters, we’ll thrive in the dark. Together” (320). The novel suggests that, despite the difficulty of making a relationship work, love is even more important and rewarding for people in dark circumstances, like Sloane and Rowan.

The Nuances of Identity

The novel illustrates that identity is complex and multifaceted, especially for people like Sloane and Rowan who must conceal their true passions, motivations, and activities from most others to avoid incarceration or persecution. Due to the necessity of secrecy, Sloane, Rowan, and other serial killer characters wear metaphorical “masks,” presenting one persona to the general public while cultivating a wholly different persona with their victims and with certain trusted family members and close friends. In addition to metaphorical “masks,” the use of nicknames also develops the complexity of identity by showing how the same person can “be” several different people under different circumstances. The novel’s exploration of identity suggests that it is difficult to truly get to know another person, which amplifies the novel’s romantic tension as well as its suspenseful terror. It is difficult and time-consuming for Sloane and Rowan to get to know each other well, which contributes to the slow-burn romance plot. The concept of nuanced identity is also frightening at times because it is not always immediately clear which characters are serial killers who pose a danger to Sloane, Rowan, and others.

Although Sloane and Rowan both have a dark side that allows them to function as killers, they are also both nuanced characters who can be funny, gentle, kind, loyal, and even loving. Both protagonists struggle to integrate the different parts of their identities both for their own self-understanding and to figure the other person out. When Sloane explains why she chose “Orb Weaver” as her serial killer nickname, Rowan observes that “Sloane’s eyes have darkened, and with just a blink she’s gone from a sexy, runny-nosed, and ravenous beauty to a wicked, remorseless, iron-willed killer” (13). Despite the darkness that exists within Sloane, she also has a birdlike, mysterious, flighty demeanor that causes Rowan to nickname her “Blackbird.” Sloane’s multiple nicknames demonstrate how she presents different versions of herself to different people. When Sloane tends to Rowan’s wounds after he kills Francis Ross, Rowan notes that “Sloane looks up from her work. Her gaze falls to my lip before it returns to my hand, her touch so gentle despite the suffering I know she could mete out, if she wanted to” (69). Within the context of the romantic plot, the nuances of identity create an exciting romantic tension because Sloane and Rowan routinely surprise each other with new, delightful aspects of their identities that were previously hidden. Whereas Rowan and Sloane may be “monsters” to some people, they are also friends and lovers to each other, showing that violence and gentleness are not mutually exclusive.

Concerning other serial killer characters, the nuances of identity create a different type of tension, amplifying the novel’s suspense and terror. Sometimes, Rowan and Sloane encounter dangerous serial killers without realizing what their methods and capabilities are, or without even realizing that they are serial killers. The innkeeper in West Virginia, Francis Ross, is slightly unnerving, but neither protagonist suspects that he is the serial killer they are meant to be hunting until Rowan catches him violating Sloane’s privacy. This raises the novel’s suspense because he almost had a chance to kill her and was likely planning to do so until the protagonists realized who he was. Weaver creates tension through Thorsten Harris’s complicated identity because, although both protagonists realize he is their target, only Sloane knows that he practices cannibalism and drugs people. When Rowan and Sloane go to his house, Rowan’s ignorance makes him vulnerable to Thorsten’s manipulation. Lastly, David Miller’s identity creates tension because both protagonists assume he is a lobotomy victim of Thorsten’s, not realizing that he is a serial killer who has just pretended to have been lobotomized. This puts both protagonists in life-threatening danger when they employ him at Rowan’s restaurant until he tries to kill them both. Sloan and Rowan’s repeated failures accurately to assess the masks that other killers wear underscore the complexity of identity and the difficulty of understanding others. Even Sloane and Rowan, who are intimately familiar with putting on masks to conceal the violent aspects of their personalities, fail to recognize the masks of others. It is impossible, the novel suggests, to know another person’s full identity by observing them. Only the sort of vulnerability that Sloane and Rowan learn to practice with each other can reveal all the nuances of identity.