In a dystopian future where a virus has made animal meat poisonous to humans, leading to the consumption of human flesh as a replacement protein source, 'Tender Is the Flesh' by Agustina Bazterrica explores the societal implications and ethical dilemmas that arise from this gruesome practice. The novel follows Marcos Tejo, a man working in a slaughterhouse where humans are processed for consumption, as he navigates through a world where cannibalism has become legal and normalized. The book delves into the detailed descriptions of this new world order, exploring themes of callousness, economic feudalism, and the dark sides of human nature.
The writing style of 'Tender Is the Flesh' is described as chilling, vivid, and thought-provoking, with a focus on world-building and delivering a message rather than character development or plot intricacies. The author, Bazterrica, paints a grim picture of a future society where the boundaries of morality and humanity are blurred, challenging readers to confront uncomfortable truths about human behavior and societal norms.
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Triggers for the book include violence, sexual assault, murder, cannibalism, and animal abuse.
From The Publisher:
Working at the local processing plant, Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans-though no one calls them that anymore.
His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the "Transition." Now, eating human meat-"special meat"-is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.
Then one day he's given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he's aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost-and what might still be saved.
Ratings (222)
Incredible (53) | |
Loved It (66) | |
Liked It (52) | |
It Was OK (37) | |
Did Not Like (6) | |
Hated It (8) |
Reader Stats (555):
Read It (229) | |
Currently Reading (13) | |
Want To Read (251) | |
Did Not Finish (8) | |
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8 comment(s)
I could have conversations about this book forever. At first I was skeptical but intrigued. I thought it was far fetched by realistic enough to keep my attention but the more I read the more realistic and close to the truth it became. This book was absolutely beautiful. It left me speechless. As a fan of body horror and gore the descriptions were perfect. Our main character really was the perfect pov to follow along. I have 0 complaints. This book is surely one to go down in history. It was very disturbing mostly because of how true it is, humans can be summed up just by reading this book and I loved every minute of it. Cannibalism, rage, dispair, loss, grief, pain, suffering, happiness, selfishness, love and anger. All these words are incapsulated perfectly in the writing. This book didn't feel like your normal story instead it felt like a research paper with a little bit of plot. The kind of book philosophers and literature students can pick apart for years but never decide on the ethics or substance of this book. BEAUTIFUL. 10/10 wouldn't recommend.
Geez this was disturbing to say the least but yet I couldn't stop reading it. It was so macarbre and fascinating, gruesome and gritty. About the animal meat becoming toxic to humans so they started to breed and slaughter humans. Somehow it was so extremely disturbing when it was about canabells even tough animal slaughter house is not that different to be fair. As a meat eater I was highly disturbed by this book and I definitely don't feel like consuming any meat for today haha. Brilliant book nevertheless
I really hate criticizing authors period, let alone those who clearly have boatloads of talent, but my God this was difficult to finish. It was desperately bleak and even more boring. How a topic this intriguing and taboo could be turned into a torturous slog I have no idea but it has been achieved here. The writing is truly beautiful, but that somehow only makes the tedium of this story more insulting. I'm sad to say the freedom I feel at being finished with this after working at it for months is a far more enjoyable experience than the novel ever was.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked it for reasons my wife didn't like it. I enjoyed not feeling an attachment to characters. Normally I want to feel something strong and powerful with at least 2 characters, but I liked my distance in this story. The end blew me away and my jaw literally dropped.
The terse sentences were a good fit, but the story relies very heavily on the 'what if' premise and while it touches on various different issues, it doesn't really go beyond the obvious.
*3.5*
It had interesting themes and a decent narrative, but it was a bit dry, especially stylistically.
It was an engaging story but ended too sharply for this reader. The horror shines best in the world building. Some characters seemed flat. Would've liked more. Still recommend!
What can you read after
Tender Is the Flesh?
About the Author:
Agustina Bazterrica is an Argentinian novelist and short story writer. She is a central figure in the Buenos Aires literary scene. She has received several awards for her writing, most notably the prestigious Premio Clarin Novela for her second novel, Tender Is the Flesh.
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