The Butcher

Young’s debut disappoints with a harsh world that’s never sufficiently explained and a female lead whose lack of agency makes her difficult to root for. Lady Mae Hilvers is preparing to take over her mother’s role as Butcher in Settlement Five, dishing out gory punishments for crimes committed by its citizens. After her mother refuses to kill a child, a higher authority, Deputy Iverson, kills her, and Lady Mae inherits her mother’s job in the worst way possible. Lady Mae works as the Butcher for five years without incident—until Deputy Iverson returns to Settlement Five, reminding Lady Mae of her mother’s death and forcing her to reckon with emotions she’s buried. Iverson has an inexplicable vendetta against both Lady Mae and her childhood best friend, Arbuckle Anfield, and turns the wrath of all Settlement Five’s Deputies on them. The Deputies’ motives for homing in on Lady Mae and Arbuckle are never satisfactorily explained and, though an adult, Lady Mae’s naivete and voice mimic that of a young teenager. Plot holes, underdeveloped characters, and an attempt to shoehorn in an incongruous message of forgiveness prevent this from living up to its premise. (Sept.)