Butcher & Blackbird

Many characters, including the protagonists and the villains they kill, have serial killer nicknames that the press and the FBI use to refer to them. These nicknames function similarly to metaphorical masks because they conceal the true identities of the people they refer to while presenting a constructed persona. Like metaphorical masks, nicknames also symbolize the nuances of identity. For example, David’s nickname of “South Bay Slasher” establishes the primary area in which he kills people and, to some extent, his preferred murder method. It does not, however, capture any other important aspects of his identity, such as his real name, his cannibalism, or the fact that he is pretending to have been lobotomized to avoid detection. Similarly, Rowan’s nickname of “Boston Butcher” and Sloane’s nickname of “Orb Weaver” establish their methods and, in Rowan’s case, his base location, but these nicknames reduce both characters to their murderous activities and fail to articulate the complex natures of their personas. Both Rowan and Sloane are much more than the murders they commit, especially to each other; they are also kind, supportive, talented, and loving. Not only are these nicknames reductive, but they can also be completely misleading. In Rowan’s case, although he lives in Boston, he travels all around the country to kill other serial killers. Rowan’s impulse to give an additional nickname, “Blackbird,” to Sloane points to the inadequacy of one nickname to describe a person’s entire identity. Whereas Sloane may be the “Orb Weaver” to her victims and the FBI, she is “Blackbird” to him, illustrating how the same person can play distinct roles in different contexts. Of course, even “Blackbird” does not fully describe the nuances of Sloane’s multifaceted personality, nor do the characters’ actual names describe them. The novel’s use of nicknames suggests that people’s identities are incredibly complex, dependent upon context, and impossible to reduce into convenient soundbites.