A review by olivertrumann
Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

dark mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

spoilers

It took my 25 days to finish Tender is the Flesh, reason being I was absolutely repulsed by it. Not by the violence and the sexual assault, which was not at all as bad as I expected given this book's reputation, but by how uninteresting and unbelieveable the whole thing is. I just don't buy into this world. I don't believe that humans could be so lacking in empathy and so susceptible to propaganda that they'd begin eating their own kind. You'd think that someone, anyone, at some point would question the legitimacy of the virus but they never do. Everyone just walks around clutching their umbrellas, afraid of bird shit. I just don't buy any of it, which is a shame because Bazterrica's world building is excellent and it's wasted on a book that, to me at least, just missed the mark.
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