The Butchers

The first novel truly to capture the story of Ireland during the BSE crisis, shown through the small, deeply intimate stories of four people caught up in its churn.

Ruth Gilligan very skilfully weaves a narrative through rural Ireland, the summer of 1996, and the BSE crisis, and also gives us a great mystery as well. The characters are all memorable, especially 12-year-old Una who takes centre stage as the story progresses.