Butcher & Blackbird

Though the novel questions The Ethics of Vigilante Justice, it ultimately sides with its protagonists’ actions. Do you agree? Is the extrajudicial killing of serial killers and other villains morally right, morally wrong, or too complex to simply be called “right” or “wrong”?

The protagonists believe that killing people who hurt others constitutes a form of restorative justice because it prevents them from doing further harm and inflicts suffering on them of the kind they caused. Research the concept of “restorative justice” and compare it to Sloane and Rowan’s approach. What would advocates of restorative justice argue is the fitting punishment for serial killers or abusers? For Sloane and Rowan?

The characters express and conceal aspects of their identities in diverse ways throughout the novel, including through nicknames and metaphorical “masks.” What do such strategies reveal about the nature of identity? Is identity fundamentally unified or fragmentary?

Sloane and Rowan repeat many of the same thoughts and statements about their feelings for each other throughout the text. The repetition is central to the development of their relationship. What does that suggest about the way that close relationships develop?

Why does the author give Sloane and Rowan artistic callings? What relationship does the text create between creativity and death?

One thing that Sloane and Rowan bond over besides killing is their childhood trauma. What does their relationship suggest about how trauma shapes relationships? What challenges does it present, and what opportunities for connection does it open?

The novel shows that love, romance, and friendship can have healing powers, even under dark circumstances. On the other hand, Sloane and Rowan’s relationship reinforces their commitment to murder, as do their friends and family’s endorsement of their activities. What does this suggest about the moral nuances of unconditional support? Is it always a good thing?

Several of the serial killers in the novel bear similarities to famous killers from real life, books, or movies. Pick one killer and compare his portrayal in Butcher & Blackbird versus the real or fictional killer they were inspired by. How are they different? How does Weaver’s re-writing of their endings function as an interpretation of those texts, or of the US’s justice system?