cobbdawg127 's review for:

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

2.0

challenging dark sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Okay, this is going to be unpopular, because people love this book. And I also really really wanted to love this book. Granted, it wasn't a fun read, but it wasn't really supposed to be. And on paper, I should really be rocking with it. Horror, cannibalism, and critiques of global capitalism are among my three favorite qualities in literature. But when it came down to it, the message here was so blunt-force and not cleverly executed that I just finished the book feeling miserable. Bazterrica is a good enough writer that I'd like to give her other work a chance. This just wasn't doing it for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic

One major and pretty brutal animal cruelty scene, as well as several verbal mentions of rape that are graphic. One instance of rape that is not detailed but is a major plot point. Forced pregnancy is described, with descriptions of brutal mutilation of the pregnant women. Not at all for the faint of heart.