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A review by kjonker
Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
🗒 "Does this pose a moral dilemma for you? Do you find it atrocious?” he asks. “Not at all. The human being is complex and I find the vile acts, contradictions, and sublimities characteristic of our condition astonishing. Our existence would be an exasperating shade of gray if we were all flawless."
This book doesn't push the lines of morality, it completely obliterates them. When a "virus" allegedly infects all animals, cannibalism is legalized and normalized; this is referred to as "the Transition". Changing the way society speaks of their own acts cannibalism seems to completely release them of the moral dilemma of eating another human being.
🗒"No one can call them humans because that would mean giving them an identity. They call them product, or meat, or food. Except for him; he would prefer not to have to call them by any name."
This book!
As I read this story, I continued to see it as an allegory of the dangers of inequality, corrupt power and groupthink. I couldn't help but think how society becomes desensitized more and more easily it seems and how quickly ideas become accepted as fact without much thought given to the ramifications, morally or otherwise, of blindly following "the leader". Social Media exacerbates this phenomena, in my opinion. If you recall the fairly recent Tik Tok trends that had kids doing all manner of violence and vandalism. The FOMO and groupthink produced from those events should actually scare us more than it does (insert "Ok, Boomer" here if you must 🤷♀️)
🗒"After all, since the world began, we’ve been eating each other. If not symbolically, then we’ve been literally gorging on each other. The Transition has enabled us to be less hypocritical."
⚠️This whole book is a trigger warning. Cannibalism, violence against marginalized people, body horror, rape, dismemberment, torture, animal abuse, child death, infertility.... the list goes on and on...and on.⚠️
It's hard to put into words how I feel about this book. I don't want to say "I liked/loved it" or "I enjoyed it" because those phrases just don't set well in my gut when describing my feelings. I will say that this book made me think; it is a very thought provoking story and that I DO enjoy from a book.
This book doesn't push the lines of morality, it completely obliterates them. When a "virus" allegedly infects all animals, cannibalism is legalized and normalized; this is referred to as "the Transition". Changing the way society speaks of their own acts cannibalism seems to completely release them of the moral dilemma of eating another human being.
🗒"No one can call them humans because that would mean giving them an identity. They call them product, or meat, or food. Except for him; he would prefer not to have to call them by any name."
This book!
As I read this story, I continued to see it as an allegory of the dangers of inequality, corrupt power and groupthink. I couldn't help but think how society becomes desensitized more and more easily it seems and how quickly ideas become accepted as fact without much thought given to the ramifications, morally or otherwise, of blindly following "the leader". Social Media exacerbates this phenomena, in my opinion. If you recall the fairly recent Tik Tok trends that had kids doing all manner of violence and vandalism. The FOMO and groupthink produced from those events should actually scare us more than it does (insert "Ok, Boomer" here if you must 🤷♀️)
🗒"After all, since the world began, we’ve been eating each other. If not symbolically, then we’ve been literally gorging on each other. The Transition has enabled us to be less hypocritical."
⚠️This whole book is a trigger warning. Cannibalism, violence against marginalized people, body horror, rape, dismemberment, torture, animal abuse, child death, infertility.... the list goes on and on...and on.⚠️
It's hard to put into words how I feel about this book. I don't want to say "I liked/loved it" or "I enjoyed it" because those phrases just don't set well in my gut when describing my feelings. I will say that this book made me think; it is a very thought provoking story and that I DO enjoy from a book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Infertility, Rape, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cannibalism, Child death, Sexual violence, and Torture