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In this harrowing story based on authentic historical documents, we follow the career of Dr.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...

lgrsfic/Butcher_-_Joyce_Carol_Oates_US.epub

Butcher: [father of Modern Gyno-Psychiatry]

Oates, Joyce Carol

Penguin Random House Distribution

Knopf Incorporated, Alfred A.

Random House, Incorporated

Penguin Random House LLC

Random House US

United States, United States of America

From one of our most accomplished storytellers, an extraordinary and arresting novel about a womens asylum in the 19th 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In this harrowing story based on authentic historical documents, we follow the career of Dr.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, The Father of Gyno-Psychiatry, as he ascends from professional anonymity to national renown. Humiliated by a disastrous procedure, 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 statewomen he subjects to the most grotesque modes of experimentation. As he begins to establish himself as a pioneer of 19th-century surgery, Weirs ambition is fueled by his obsessive fascination with a young Irish indentured servant named Brigit, who becomes not only Weirs primary experimental subject, but also the agent of his destruction.
Narrated by Silas Weirs eldest son, who has repudiated his fathers 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.

2024-10-01