A review by shrewdbard
Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

4.5

I knew it would be horrific. I had a powerful inkling what the ending would be. I still feel shocked silent. I often tell my husband about the more horrifying novels I read, but I find myself so quietly disturbed, I’m not sure I can really talk out loud about this one. 

The

conspiracy

angle was odd to me, if only because I didn’t think there needed to be a

fake virus

. The cruel irony is that humans can live without meat. I don’t need another reason to think that if the animals died, we would tear each other to shreds, regardless, like we turn our faces away from the humans who are torn to shreds in fields and factories to bring us our modern niceties. After the past year, I have no question that the same governments who cage their enemies in filthy camps and force teenage girls to give birth to their rapists’ children would be thrilled to legalize cannibalism.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gore, Cannibalism