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nochilarybanks 's review for:
Tender Is the Flesh
by Agustina Bazterrica
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I rarely leave reviews and when I do, I don't leave long ones, but I know one day, I'm gonna look back at my read books and think "why did I give it that many stars again?" so this is mostly written for my future self.
I don't like to rate books based solely on whether I enjoyed them or not; I also like to factor in how well I think the author did in achieving a particular goal. (this part is NOT for my future self, obvi.)
With that said, I did not like reading this book... but almost every complaint I had about it could be answered with "that's the point."
"It's so fucking bleak." That's the point. "There are parts that are mind-numbingly mundane." That's the point. "I hated the protagonist." That's the point. "It's really, really, really gross." Girl DUH, you knew what the book was about! THAT'S. THE. POINT.
I tend to read dark fiction, so it's not like I didn't know what I was signing up for. However, even books I could also describe as bleak, books that normalize the horrific to make a statement, books with evil protagonists have done more for me engagement/entertainment-wise than this.
Tbh it gave me the same kind of feeling I got reading The Martian by Andy Weir: it's a logistical take on the fantastical. It felt like an exploration of a hypothetical for a mind that works differently than mine does, so while effective and very well-written/thought out, it just give for me what I was hoping would be gave.
I don't like to rate books based solely on whether I enjoyed them or not; I also like to factor in how well I think the author did in achieving a particular goal. (this part is NOT for my future self, obvi.)
With that said, I did not like reading this book... but almost every complaint I had about it could be answered with "that's the point."
"It's so fucking bleak." That's the point. "There are parts that are mind-numbingly mundane." That's the point. "I hated the protagonist." That's the point. "It's really, really, really gross." Girl DUH, you knew what the book was about! THAT'S. THE. POINT.
I tend to read dark fiction, so it's not like I didn't know what I was signing up for. However, even books I could also describe as bleak, books that normalize the horrific to make a statement, books with evil protagonists have done more for me engagement/entertainment-wise than this.
Tbh it gave me the same kind of feeling I got reading The Martian by Andy Weir: it's a logistical take on the fantastical. It felt like an exploration of a hypothetical for a mind that works differently than mine does, so while effective and very well-written/thought out, it just give for me what I was hoping would be gave.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Dementia, Death of parent, Pregnancy