Have you ever heard of Mrs. Lovett? The Butcher’s Daughter: The Hitherto Untold Story of Mrs. Lovett by David Demchuk and Corinne Leigh Clark aim to change that with their new book. This gothic horror novel reimagines the infamous Mrs. Lovett, owner of a failing pie shop, from the story of Sweeney Todd. For those unfamiliar, Sweeney Todd is the story of a barber who murders his customers by slitting their throats with his straight razor. Mrs. Lovett becomes his partner-in-crime, as his … disposal system.
Told in epistolary fashion, The Butcher’s Daughter: The Hitherto Untold Story of Mrs. Lovett is a haunting novel that combines elements of European myths and folklore, queer horror, and intergenerational trauma. The story unfolds via letters between a journalist, Miss Emily Gibson, and a woman who claims to be the infamous and elusive Mrs. Lovett. The story is set in 1887 London and delves deep into Lovett’s past, starting with her childhood and upbringing on Butcher’s Row, and continues through the events that eventually culminate at the pie shop we know on Fleet Street.
The letters offer insight into Lovett’s early life, traumas, and her eventual descent into darkness. The immersive depiction of Victorian London sets such a great atmosphere for this character’s development. Miss Gibson is in search of the truth behind her story and goes through many resources and channels to get to the bottom of the mystery that is The Butcher’s Daughter.
Mrs. Lovett was raised in a butcher shop, which ultimately makes her the perfect companion for Todd. Her father was a cruel one and created a rather grim environment for her upbringing. Later, as a young woman, Lovett comes to be employed as an assistant to a rich doctor who has some nefarious ties. Her job mostly consists of caring for his invalid wife, with strict guidelines never to enter his lab. But her curiosity gets the better of her and she exposes some sinister secrets. A series of tragic and brutal events lead her on a path that takes her straight to Fleet Street and straight to Todd.
While Sweeney Todd makes an appearance in The Butcher’s Daughter, rest assured this story is all about Mrs. Lovett. This novel offers us a deep exploration of her as an individual, the “why’s” that shaped her into the person she eventually becomes. She transforms before the reader’s eyes, skillfully mastered by the authors. The choice to present this to us in the epistolary format helps with creating, building, and maintaining suspense.
The Butcher’s Daughter explores themes of horror, agency, and power. We are also given an underlying love story. The vision of Demchuk and Clarke comes to full fruition, showing us a fleshed out and pragmatic protagonist. We feel the emotion and the complexity the more we learn about Mrs. Lovett, up until the climax, then still in the aftermath.
I loved this story. Clocking in at just over 400 pages, it flew. It compelled me to keep reading and discover more and more about Mrs. Lovett. Some of the events that unfolded were truly horrifying, even more so than the events on Fleet Street. Too often we can discredit the horrors that befall humans as “not really” horror, but this novel delivers on all fronts. Sometimes the monsters are the ones we can’t even recognize until it’s too late. Thank you so much to Hell’s Hundred Books and Soho Press for sending me an ARC. You can find The Butcher’s Daughter: The Hitherto Untold Story of Mrs. Lovett when it publishes May 06, 2025, wherever you buy your books.
David Demchuk has been writing for print, stage, digital and other media for more than 40 years. His books The Bone Mother and Red X have each been nominated for several awards. He lives with his husband in an old house by the sea in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Corinne Leigh Clark loves to read and write shadowy Gothic stories. She is a graduate of The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and the creative writing program at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Education. The Butcher’s Daughter: The Hiterto Untold Story of Mrs. Lovett is her debut novel.
Photo courtesy of the publisher
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