Madeleine Cleary’s The Butterfly Women, set across 1863-64, details the hidden lives of sex workers in Melbourne and follows a fictional account of Melbourne’s first serial killer. Inspired by Jack the Ripper and set within the context of colonialism and the Ballarat gold rush, it’s a glimpse into the lived reality of 19th century Melbourne.Â
The book follows the perspectives of multiple women of the era, ranging in class and age. All are interwoven in the narrative, interacting with each other and working together to solve the case of the murders. At times, the book takes on an almost creepy, omnipresent perspective every time someone dies – detailing a summary of their life, or recent whereabouts.Â
At times, this multiple perspective is at a detriment to the plot. While interwoven together, these women have their own struggles, romantic interests and aspirations, and Cleary’s attempts at exploring everything flails. While it’s a noble quest to give agency to those whose stories have been lost to a man-centric society, with an overarching plot of a murder mystery going on as well, exploring the politics of being a sex worker in the 19th century is attempting to do too much.Â
In terms of the murder mystery aspect, Cleary deserves credit for a fantastic job of building suspense and intrigue, and carefully linking clues to the true culprit. At times it is frustrating to read when these women are so close to figuring out the identity of the killer, but are not believed. The time-skip does stunt the building climax, as do the romantic distractions. However, ultimately the denouement is satisfying and leads the way for a hopeful vision of a more feminist society.Â
There are minor points of confusion: with such a large ensemble of characters, it is easy to forget some and mix others up. Additionally, at the beginning of the book, Johanna is thrown out onto the street by ‘the butcher’ (a real butcher) and, only moments later, other characters begin discussing another butcher – in this case, the serial killer.
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If you’re a fan of historical romance and murder mysteries, this is the book for you, but if you prefer one over the other, you may find yourself getting frustrated. One cannot deny, however, that The Butterfly Women is a love letter to the rich history of Melbourne. You can see it bleed through in every page.
The Butterfly Women, Madeleine Cleary
Publisher: Affirm Press
ISBN: 9781923022409
Format: Paperback
Pages: 400pp
Release Date: 29 April 2025
RRP: $32.99
