Butcher

A Novel

By: Joyce Carol Oates

Narrated by: Amy Shiels, Edoardo Ballerini, Cassandra Campbell, Robert Fass, Tavia Gilbert, Jeremy Carlisle, Danny Campbell, Max Meyers

Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

From one of our most accomplished storytellers, an extraordinary and arresting novel about a women’s asylum in the nineteenth century, and a terrifying doctor who wants to change the world

In this harrowing story based on authentic historical documents, we follow the career of Dr. Silas Weir, “Father of Gyno-Psychiatry,” as he ascends from professional anonymity to national renown. Humiliated by a procedure gone terribly wrong, Weir is forced to take a position at the New Jersey Asylum for Female Lunatics, where he reigns. There, he is allowed to continue his practice, unchecked for decades, making a name for himself by focusing on women who have been neglected by the state—women he subjects to the most grotesque modes of experimentation. As he begins to establish himself as a pioneer of nineteenth-century surgery, Weir’s ambition is fueled by his obsessive fascination with a young Irish indentured servant named Brigit, who becomes not only Weir’s primary experimental subject, but also the agent of his destruction.

Narrated by Silas Weir’s eldest son, who has repudiated his father’s brutal legacy, Butcher is a unique blend of fiction and fact, a nightmare voyage through the darkest regions of the American psyche conjoined, in its startling conclusion, with unexpected romance. Once again, Joyce Carol Oates has written a spellbinding novel confirming her position as one of our celebrated American visionaries of the imagination.

©2024 Joyce Carol Oates (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“[Oates] takes this very real nightmare of [the ‘father of gyno-psychiatry’] and knits together a story about a young Irish servant who becomes Weir’s ‘subject,’ but also the object of his downfall. Sounds like the perfect American novel, delving deep into the horrors of invention.”—Lit Hub, “Most Anticipated Books of 2024”"

“A creepy, circuitous tale—one based on actual history . . . Vintage Oates: splendidly written, and a useful warning to choose your doctors wisely.”—Kirkus

“Deliciously arch . . . Oates’s scathing indictment of the physical and psychological treatment of women by the medical establishment makes for compulsive but challenging reading. Unlike the ghastly procedures depicted, Oates’s inventive gothic novel pays off.”—Publishers Weekly

Maybe Her Best

This is likely Joyce Carol Oates’s bass novel to date. The way she is able to capture the voice, tone, and mood of a 19th century surgeon was spectacular. Clearly, the diction is reflective of a 19th century author. The reason I gave this novel four stars instead of five stars in the story category is because I feel like the story and characters or let’s say the plot and characters could’ve been developed more to the end of the story. I feel as though she may have gotten tired of writing the story and ended it without developing it. However, this has been the case with many of her novels, so it may just be a stylistic of her writing rather than lack of development of the characters. Over all, if you like Gothic literature, then I’m highly recommended.

Great story line

LOVE Joyce Carol Oates. This novel doesn’t disappoint. All young women must read to appreciate where women’s gynecological care began.

History we didn’t learn in school

The detail and the thriller aspect of the story that was true at a time when women were devalued and blacks couldn’t vote (sound familiar)