Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

93 reviews

pan_to_ffel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

This is a slice of life story in a dystopian world, where cannibalism is the norm. Trigger warning? You name it, it has it... Probably.
I'm not sorry I read the book, the style was flowing nicely, it's very slow paced. It was horrifyingly fascinating to see how a world of cannibalism would work, how a society would work and what mechanisms might develop in this scenario. 
The character isn't the most likeable but he's also not not likeable, if you know what I mean. He's describing his life in such a detached way - being part of the machinery, not really willing or able to change anything but not happy either way. It's an intriguing mix and probably true for many situations and people. Which is probably the reason I'm not a fan of the book - too much truth, not enough fairy tale rebellion :) 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Dementia, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Self harm, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Minor: Addiction, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Vomit, Medical content, and Trafficking

sassafrasrewts's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

fayfaybleugh's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

review unfinished: This is the most horrifying book I’ve ever read- I cannot rate it because its content and delivery cannot possibly be “good”, but it remains thought provoking and is truly a horror if an unconventional one. Despite being a page turner that I finished quite quickly I had to take many pauses and many times thought I would put it down and not pick it up again. The content warnings on this one are a mile long and they just get worse and worse as the book goes on.

The novel follows Marcos who works as the right hand man of a “special meat” processing llant in a dystopian future (or alternate reality) where a virus that kills humans has contaminated all animals causing all slaughterhouses to be shut down, all pets and animals that interact with humans euthanized. In what is called the Transition, the loss of the meat industry is replaced with humans. The references to factory farming are heavy-handed and obvious from the way that “special meat” and “specimens” are talked and labeled for consumption:

feet sold as “hind trotters”, not regular kidneys but “special kidneys”

, etc. There are references that it is illegal to outright discuss the consumption of humans or cannibalism, and that specific language must be used (“head” instead of people, “carcass” instead of corpse), but over the course of the book it becomes apparent that people are well aware what they are taking part in, particularly when Marcos visits the game reserve.

Throughout, other characters are insistent that “head” are not people or human- it is meat and nothing else- and is furthermore seen as a status symbol as evidenced from the description of scavengers who exist as a starving underclass at the edges of the story who tear apart corpses unfit for production outside the slaughterhouse fences. Despite the clear line that humanity has drawn to distinguish “people” from “meat”, instances of people being very aware of consuming humans are made from the celebrity hunted down at the game reserve whose parts are eaten in celebration because it had a name, the practice of keeping live head in your own house to butcher piece by piece so it is fresh, etc.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Infertility, Excrement, Medical content, Car accident, and Alcohol

spcandybars's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

It’s impossible to rate something I'm so simultaneously enraptured and repulsed by

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Cannibalism

ejr1904's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This was absolutely devastating, moving, and brilliant. The twist at the end was unforeseen and my body physically responded to. Dark, twisted, and a strong piece of social commentary 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

marianacorrea's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, and Murder

lakeus's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I think this book as convinced me to become a vegetarian 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

miricles's review against another edition

dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The extreme gore and violence don't feel justified because while it was trying to send a message, the message didn't feel like anything new to me. There are plenty of societal issues that can be explored with cannibalism, but I don't think this brought anything new to the table or really made me consider the ethics of certain things. It felt solely like a criticism of the meat industry that was really half-baked and didn't go much deeper. Pretty disappointing.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Pregnancy

b00ksandqu0tes's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Horrifying.  

So. We're eating humans. And what made this book most horrifying was how much sense it all made. The decline and connection between money and power and the government. How people trust what they see and hear without evidence, so they can be guided by social media, the news, and people with little practical knowledge or experience, just loud voices. 

And as a person who loves language and nerds out over how we use words, the rebranding of the entire meat industry was such a cool thing to read about - ESPECIALLY when you consider that this whole book was translated. With the rebranding, it becomes absolutely awful they have taken these words to make "others" out of their meat. It is on par with how the meat industry handles our animals today, and without the few "slips" in the narration, it would honestly be easy to forget that they are eating humans. So whenever that is sharply pulled back into your mind, as a reader you are horrified that it wasn't always 100% at the forefront of your thoughts. 

Rending. 

Marcos' life is falling apart - he remembers before the Transition and struggles with the world he is in, for many reasons. He is grieving a serious loss while simultaneously preparing himself for his father's death. He is alone in his home and rarely talks to Cecilia, his wife. Marcos' whole existence is heartbreaking, and experiencing what he does as an integral part of his factory continues to break him and us. 

As a reader, you also witness detailed descriptions of what is happening. Not only do you visit Marcos' processing plant, but the settings also cover a butchery, sports hunting arena, scientific lab, and homes raising their own 'head'. Through these experiences, for me the single most heart rending situation is when the human 'livestock' are described. Not when they are being broken and battered, but their faces, their eyes, and their expressions. 

Satiating.

This is a book I will never pick up again. This is a book that breaks you and continues to do so. This is a book that opens up all of the ugly in society, that calls to question how we treat others (not just human, but the animals and our planet) and the way we allow entities to control us. It brings into spotlight the terrible things we do in order to get what we want. 

It is also, in a word, full. Two hundred pages. It's a quick read that will take you forever. I sat for what felt like forever after finishing and tried to put into words how I was feeling. I'm still thinking about this book. I will be thinking about this book for years. Did I enjoy it? No. But it is important. It has given me much to think about. 

And the two of the most important aspects in a novel were present for me: first, the language that was used was incredibly targeted and held great weight. This is a great book to read if you love looking at how word choice affects tone, especially since diction is actively discussed within the book itself. Second, it has a perfect ending. The way it ends is the only realistic and true-to-character direction it could have gone. Marcos takes hold of everything and gives himself the ending that is perfect for him. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Rape, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Cannibalism

leahrosereads's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was easily one of the most horrifying, disturbing novels I've ever read.  It starts slow and didn't answer one of the biggest questions I had, but the premise had me turning pages so freaking fast.  I just had to know what happened next.  This is definitely not for the faint of heart, and with how graphic it is, I'm so very grateful for my aphantasia.  

Trigger warnings for practically everything you can think of. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Homophobia, Excrement, Vomit, and Dementia