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A review by mountaingoblin
Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.0
this book was interesting to read, well-written and well-translated (though sometimes it felt a bit awkward but that’s probably a given with anything translated), and utterly horrifying and disgusting.
what horrified me the most about the story was the industrialization of human slaughter and the cultural normalization of this dehumanization and cruelty, which being based on existing structures of industry and politics calls into question the ways in which we already normalize such things to a certain degree, and also how these structures determine who is given the privilege of humanity and bodily autonomy and who isn’t (hint it has to do with money).
the book was shorter than i originally expected given the complex setting. the story is told from (and therefore limited by) the perspective of the main character, who is not likable (imo- and that is besides the point), but it gives unique insight to the personal and political effects of “the Transition” without needing to provide a holistic in-depth explanation of the world.
what horrified me the most about the story was the industrialization of human slaughter and the cultural normalization of this dehumanization and cruelty, which being based on existing structures of industry and politics calls into question the ways in which we already normalize such things to a certain degree, and also how these structures determine who is given the privilege of humanity and bodily autonomy and who isn’t (hint it has to do with money).
the book was shorter than i originally expected given the complex setting. the story is told from (and therefore limited by) the perspective of the main character, who is not likable (imo- and that is besides the point), but it gives unique insight to the personal and political effects of “the Transition” without needing to provide a holistic in-depth explanation of the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Classism