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A review by darlaslays
Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
WHOA. The story was twisted. The narrator did an excellent job with his voice acting. I was sucked into the world that both fascinated and disgusted me. I want to say I enjoyed it in a way that true horror can be savored.
——
Tender is the Flesh was a super dark yet captivating story about how modern day society can degrade when the taboo of eating humans is erased. It also says a lot about the world today through a unique and distorted lens, from the meat industry, human trafficking, poverty, classism, etc.
It’s not for the faint of heart and for those who love dogs, you will hate the end of Part 2 Chapter 6 as much as I did. If you can handle certain atrocities except for those committed against innocent animals, skip it and go straight to the beginning of Part 2 Chapter 7 when you sense it coming.
I promise you’re not missing out on anything except the feeling of upset and injustice. I don’t care about spoiling it because anyone decent would not get upset at getting spoiled about DOGS UNNECESSARILY BEING KILLED VIOLENTLY. I give more details in the content warnings section.
Don’t get me wrong, reading about humans getting processed was utterly horrifying as well.
It started out as sort of a slice of life, no pun intended. We saw the world through the eyes of a man who is the second in command of a special meat processing plant. By “special meat,” I mean human meat. A virus made animal meat unsafe for human consumption and also made animals a health hazard to keep as pets.
It’s told in a way wherein we get a bird’s eye view of the supply chain. The exposition was quite compelling and we gradually descend into understanding how and why cannibalism became palatable and socially acceptable in this world.
Later, we find out the motivations of our main character, Marcos. We find out his sad backstory and how the world is bleak and meaningless through his eyes.
First, his father, who he loves deeply, is elderly and suffering from dementia while he lives in a care home. This care is paid for solely by Marcos and therefore is paid for in flesh and blood by all of the humans specially bred for consumption. They are deemed not persons— stripped of clothing, voices, basic rights, and not named.
Second, his wife moved out of the house to live with her mom following the death of their infant son, after trying hard to conceive due to fertility issues. The pain of losing his son and then his wife abandoning him makes his life feel extra terrible.
Third, his sister has become a superficial, shallow social climber who never visits or takes her teenage children to visit her dad in the care home. Her children are spoiled rotten and are just assholes.
Fourth, he is a dog lover and misses animals and the world before the virus because he still has a tiny shred of decency in the back of his mind.
Fifth, the equivalent of an official A5 Wagyu in the form of a female human livestock is given to him as a present by one of his suppliers. She is alive and he doesn’t want anything to do with her at first.
All of these elements unravel and converge and a lot of stuff happens that you’ll have to read about to understand. It’s a wild trip.
——
Personal anecdote:
I am choosing to become a vegetarian again temporarily for the next few weeks while I recover from the mild psychological trauma. It’s crazy because the parallels that were drawn within the story did make it easy for me to digest the idea of why people could turn to cannibalism as an acceptable and viable option if all other meat was tainted.
Of course, as someone who was a vegetarian for years and also did extensive research on the pros and cons of eating meat, I know it’s totally possible and still healthy to not have animal flesh as a source of protein to survive if you plan your meals properly because our primitive ancestors did it.
Meat was a luxury back then and not necessarily a norm for certain societies. Also, in an advanced world, you can just supplement whatever you need or are missing.
Now, I get it if you just miss the taste of meat, but if people are dying and dehumanized and suffering, IT AIN’T WORTH IT.
…or is it for you?
I do love my steaks and BBQs when I’m in meat eater mode.
——
Tender is the Flesh was a super dark yet captivating story about how modern day society can degrade when the taboo of eating humans is erased. It also says a lot about the world today through a unique and distorted lens, from the meat industry, human trafficking, poverty, classism, etc.
It’s not for the faint of heart and for those who love dogs, you will hate the end of Part 2 Chapter 6 as much as I did. If you can handle certain atrocities except for those committed against innocent animals, skip it and go straight to the beginning of Part 2 Chapter 7 when you sense it coming.
I promise you’re not missing out on anything except the feeling of upset and injustice. I don’t care about spoiling it because anyone decent would not get upset at getting spoiled about DOGS UNNECESSARILY BEING KILLED VIOLENTLY. I give more details in the content warnings section.
Don’t get me wrong, reading about humans getting processed was utterly horrifying as well.
It started out as sort of a slice of life, no pun intended. We saw the world through the eyes of a man who is the second in command of a special meat processing plant. By “special meat,” I mean human meat. A virus made animal meat unsafe for human consumption and also made animals a health hazard to keep as pets.
It’s told in a way wherein we get a bird’s eye view of the supply chain. The exposition was quite compelling and we gradually descend into understanding how and why cannibalism became palatable and socially acceptable in this world.
Later, we find out the motivations of our main character, Marcos. We find out his sad backstory and how the world is bleak and meaningless through his eyes.
First, his father, who he loves deeply, is elderly and suffering from dementia while he lives in a care home. This care is paid for solely by Marcos and therefore is paid for in flesh and blood by all of the humans specially bred for consumption. They are deemed not persons— stripped of clothing, voices, basic rights, and not named.
Second, his wife moved out of the house to live with her mom following the death of their infant son, after trying hard to conceive due to fertility issues. The pain of losing his son and then his wife abandoning him makes his life feel extra terrible.
Third, his sister has become a superficial, shallow social climber who never visits or takes her teenage children to visit her dad in the care home. Her children are spoiled rotten and are just assholes.
Fourth, he is a dog lover and misses animals and the world before the virus because he still has a tiny shred of decency in the back of his mind.
Fifth, the equivalent of an official A5 Wagyu in the form of a female human livestock is given to him as a present by one of his suppliers. She is alive and he doesn’t want anything to do with her at first.
All of these elements unravel and converge and a lot of stuff happens that you’ll have to read about to understand. It’s a wild trip.
——
Personal anecdote:
I am choosing to become a vegetarian again temporarily for the next few weeks while I recover from the mild psychological trauma. It’s crazy because the parallels that were drawn within the story did make it easy for me to digest the idea of why people could turn to cannibalism as an acceptable and viable option if all other meat was tainted.
Of course, as someone who was a vegetarian for years and also did extensive research on the pros and cons of eating meat, I know it’s totally possible and still healthy to not have animal flesh as a source of protein to survive if you plan your meals properly because our primitive ancestors did it.
Meat was a luxury back then and not necessarily a norm for certain societies. Also, in an advanced world, you can just supplement whatever you need or are missing.
Now, I get it if you just miss the taste of meat, but if people are dying and dehumanized and suffering, IT AIN’T WORTH IT.
…or is it for you?
I do love my steaks and BBQs when I’m in meat eater mode.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Toxic relationship, Xenophobia
CANNIBALISM AND DEHUMANIZING PEOPLE ARBITRARILY BASED ON EUGENICS. Don’t read it if you can’t stomach the very worst taboos against human decency: mutilation, pedophilia, rape, abuse, torture. It’s DARK.
Details about the animal cruelty to the max towards four innocent puppies:
Teenage kids mutilate four puppies that Marcos found, played with, petted, and named earlier in the story. The boys hit the dogs with sticks, bash their brains in against a wall, and discuss burning the last puppy alive.