“The butchers” by Sophie Demange, published by l’Iconoclaste

Here is a female revenge novel. It could be a specific genre: these novels have existed for a long time, but they have become more and more numerous in recent years, particularly in detective novels.

So we could cite Invisible de Sarah Walker, Mamie Luger by Benoit Philippon, The Mafiosi de Pascal Dietrich, Women without mercy by Camilla Lackberg and even Girl Gang Confession by Joyce Carol Oates as well as Survivorsa very violent novel by Cédric Sire published by Michel Lafon.

The Butchers tells the story of 3 women who have scores to settle with men, on a personal basis and out of feminist philosophy, or out of solidarity when it comes to helping another woman who is a victim of humiliation or violence from men.

First there are two young women: the daughter of a butcher and a teenager a little worn out by life; they find themselves in an apprenticeship center to become butchers. Two young women who appreciate each other and who, alone in a male world, must demonstrate incredible strength of character to resist.

They meet again after a few years, when one of them – upon the death of her father – takes over the family butcher's shop in Rouen. The project is attractive, everything works well. They innovate, they are full of ideas and it works, they hire a third young woman and become the “Butchers”, a real attraction in this bourgeois district of Rouen.

But things will quickly change when one of them kills her violent boyfriend in the butcher's shop. Solidarity plays out between them and we understand that each, in this story, has some scores to settle with men. This is how they will become real vigilantes. One man, then two, three, four… all bastards. Each corpse is cut with precision in this extraordinary butchery.

This frenzy to do justice and especially the lifestyle of these young women do not leave the good people of the neighborhood indifferent. And things will turn sour.

It's a kind of detective comedy. It kills, it cuts, but it's never really bad. Not without jubilation, Sophie Demange has fun with the profession of her avenging heroines. Each one cuts, with dexterity and without qualms, their victim (all bastards!).

This is a social and feminist fable, which highlights the violence suffered, the humiliations endured, the frustrating sexuality and often the stupidity of those who consider women their prey.