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branwynnemay 's review for:
Tender Is the Flesh
by Agustina Bazterrica
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Word to the wise: if you’re an empathetic person, do not just pick this one up.
The bleakness of The Jungle and the unrelenting horror of human nature of Parable of the Sower, The Road and 1984… but without any of the goodness those story’s authors offer the reader to hold on to. After all, to live in this world and be good, one would go insane- just as to read this book and be good, the reader must disassociate and consistently hold counsel with the questions this story begs. How deep is our collective cognitive dissonance that we can eat meat? Why don’t we care more about how our food is raised and slaughtered? What is our relationship to each other, ourselves and nature? If sociopaths have no empathy, what are we, and who do we want to be?
This story was too dark for me, too painful and despairing. It’s honestly the most horrific book I have ever read and I felt traumatized when it was over. The only way I should have read it was in small doses with a large book club who met often to have long discussions and support one another.
But I didn’t. And I’m sorry.
The bleakness of The Jungle and the unrelenting horror of human nature of Parable of the Sower, The Road and 1984… but without any of the goodness those story’s authors offer the reader to hold on to. After all, to live in this world and be good, one would go insane- just as to read this book and be good, the reader must disassociate and consistently hold counsel with the questions this story begs. How deep is our collective cognitive dissonance that we can eat meat? Why don’t we care more about how our food is raised and slaughtered? What is our relationship to each other, ourselves and nature? If sociopaths have no empathy, what are we, and who do we want to be?
This story was too dark for me, too painful and despairing. It’s honestly the most horrific book I have ever read and I felt traumatized when it was over. The only way I should have read it was in small doses with a large book club who met often to have long discussions and support one another.
But I didn’t. And I’m sorry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic, gore, traumatizing, horrific, despairing