Tender Is the Flesh

I've never been able to sit down and read an actual book for years because of my adhd. I turned to reading manga but I still wasn't satisfied. I heard about extreme horror from a friend and thought that maybe it'd help keep my eyes on the paper and stop my mind from wondering. It worked. I started my extreme horror journey with a book called COWS by Matthew Stokoe. I wrote a review on it as well—a review that was mostly negative. The book was definitely disturbing and disgusting but that's.. all it was. It was a nonstop carnival ride of gross scenes with no meaningful substance that made me start to hate the genre as a whole. It definitely kept my eyes on the paper, but not for any good reasons. Then I saw this book on instagram. I heard a description and thought, "a dystopia about cannibalism being the norm where the main character falls in love with his dinner? I'm sold." I started reading and needless to say I was hooked. ⚠️SPOILERS AHEAD⚠️ (I assume you already knew this though because you decided to read this review and well I have to talk about the plot to do so) (Premise) The author tells us we've been driven to cannibalism because of a disease that makes animals inedible to humans—BUT it's heavily implied that the whole thing could be a hoax made up by the government to combat overpopulation. I love how the author left it up for the reader to decide which one is true. (Plot) The plot is interesting. You'd think It'd just be a story about crazy cannibals but actually has a lot of substance compared to other works. The main character is actually a decent guy who recently lost his kid and wife. He ends up receiving a gift of a female that was supposed to be slaughtered and eaten. He instead falls in love with her and she ends up pregnant. He wants to make sure he doesn't lose his kid again—despite it being very illegal to sleep with a human who's meant to be slaughtered. (Characters) The main character is deep and complex and not a trope. If there's one thing I hate about reading is seeing trope characters. The main character feels like an actual person. He's angry, he's protective of what he loves, fragmented, burdened with grief, and detached. In one of the first few scenes of the book the author even hints at him disassociating while hearing his boss talk about the process of skinning humans and turning them into leather. I like that he isn't just a gross, weird, vulgar wannabe badass like many authors try to make their main characters in urban decay settings. (Themes) The book has themes of grief, disconnection, and powerlessness. The main character struggles with the death of his son, and his father later in the book. He even feels sour towards his sister for not caring about his father like he did. The kind of powerlessness he feels being surrounded by slaughter everyday with nothing he can do, all the while thinking that it all might not even be justified because the disease may not exist is frightening. (My favorite scene) The main character often visits an old abandoned zoo throughout the story. Since the "outbreak" happened people have been scared and kill any animal they see, so naturally zoos were shut down. The first time we see him go to this zoo, he makes his way to where the birds were kept. When he's there, he reflects on how his dad used to take him there as a kid to see the birds, and wishes he could've been able to take his son there to do the same. This scene was amazing, definitely punched me in the gut. I would add more detail but I realize it's something you should read yourself. (Conclusion) If you hate feel-good stories, can handle the grotesque, and want to read something that will have you glued until you reach the ending, then I highly recommend Tender is the Flesh.

I was debating giving it 3 stars, but decided on 4 because it was a “fun” read. It’s a bleak world that the protagonist finds himself in. The mental hoops that he and humanity have to jump through to justify its actions are believable. The way humans dissociate themselves from food and dehumanize each other feels especially topical and should be reflected upon more often as a whole. I feel the author brings up such subjects and likens them to human trafficking with out being TOO preachy, but somehow comes off hypocritical. I see what she was trying to get at, appreciate it, but feel like she missed the mark. (Honestly this may be a cultural or translation thing, too) I take issue with the science, such widespread cannibalism, no matter what precautions were taken, would bring about a host of diseases. I also can’t wrap my mind around the timeline. The transition seems to have happened quite fast (I know the world feels so much different now from a few years ago), but such a change in status quo feels like it would either be a very slow slip (if society were to remain intact) or would need to be a world recently rebuilt from the ashes of a great disaster (one greater than the explanation given). A rating of 3.5/5 or even 6.5 out of 10 would be closer to my view. Still worth a read.

This book will ruin your day, but it's an excellent read. The author writes very well and while the content is shocking, it doesn't feel like it's shocking for shock's sake. There's a real story here, and it's pretty compelling. I, like some of the other readers, have some trouble with a few things like 1. Even with all the measures they take in the novel, eating people would still come with severe side effects especially when done so frequently. (Kuru, for example) 2. They never really get into why veggies aren't an option - only vaguely saying that "scientists say there isn't enough protein" 3. I want to know more about the government depopulation conspiracies the transition stuff - that would have made the book a lot longer though, so I can see why he left it out. That being said - really great writing with a sad and disturbing ending. I really had hopes for Marco bringing about some kind of change but. ****SPOILER WARNING**** he just decides to use Jasmin as a personal breeder. Totally ruined my day haha.

This was a very dark and challenging read. There’s not really any content warning that will prevent me from reading a book if I find the premise interesting. In fact, I read this on recommendation from a friend who told me it was incredibly dark and f’ed up, so I knew what I was getting into. I was not prepared. This is one of only two books in my life that I’ve felt uneasy about and had to just sit and process for a while after I finished it. (The other is Lolita.) The book was incredibly well written and realistic, so much so that it seemed believable, like humanity might actually be forced into cannibalism one day. That realism, I think, was the root of my unease. The first half of the book is more viscerally graphic. We get a look into how cannibalism became necessary, how the “cattle” are bred and treated, and we even get a fairly detailed tour of a meat processing facility. The second half is where it gets more disturbing. It’s clear the humans raised for food aren’t viewed as people – they’re viewed as animals, the same way we view cows or pigs. The author did a great job of subtly creating that viewpoint shift, and focusing on the differences between ‘them’ and ‘us.’ We get deeper into the morality of this system, and trying to figure out where to draw the line, specifically when it comes to sex. The law says no, because they’re not people, right? They’re branded and treated like cattle. And yet, they are still human, and they have human needs and desires, and they look like people, so one surely couldn’t be faulted for treating them like people sometimes. I highly recommend this book if you think you can handle it.

“If a person with a first and last name can be eaten legally, and they’re not considered a product, what’s stopping anyone from eating anyone else?” Sheesh. This book was depressingly disturbing. A dystopian type novel set in the future where animal meat is no longer safe to eat (or so the public is made to believe by the government) so the “legitimization of cannibalism” is put in place- making “special meat” as they call it, the new normal. Not only this, but animals all brutally killed to mostly extinction, and all remaining animals are feared. Something I really liked about this book is it’s brutal and very important message about the very real disgusting horrors that go on in our food industry (especially meat and dairy) today. It calls out so many of mankind’s hypocrisies like how we feel mostly no remorse condoning the killing, torturing, and breeding an unnamed beef cows but feel disgust at even the suggestion of hurting a beloved pet. Bringing relevancy to the quote I pulled from the book at the beginning of this review, regular people or people with “fist and last names” as the book frequently references them, are not on the menu. Only the “heads” or “specimens” bred and raised in captivity - raised strictly for food. This book shines an important light on our lack of empathy and respect for other living beings as a society and the insatiable selfishness of mankind. The unspeakable things we do to other living beings in order to satisfy our hunger, our vanity, our entertainment, and our research. It’s uncomfortable because a the majority of this story is a twisted version of something very real. Moving away from the important message of this book, I found it overall a very good read. It successfully made me feel very bleak and hopeless, as it is a very depressing and disturbing book. The main character is someone I empathized with in the beginning but quickly grew to dislike and then pretty much despise by the end of the book. “She had the human look of a domesticated animal.” Even though this all sounds very negative, it was the books purpose so I consider this a successful read. The reason I took a star off the rating was because the writing itself was not that great in my opinion. I had to re read sections a few times in some places because it was written very choppy and lacked a cohesive flow. Overall as I said, although this book is disturbing and depressing as hell, I would recommend checking it out if you can stomach it. Definitely check TWs but pretty much assume there’s everything but the kitchen sink in this book as far as triggers go.

The most disturbing aspect of Tender is the Flesh is how plausible it feels. Bazterrica doesn’t write monsters; she writes ordinary people doing monstrous things, numbed by routine and desensitized by survival. The result is a powerful critique of violence, consumerism, and the human capacity for moral compromise. Though brief, the novel’s impact is long-lasting. Its ending is a gut-punch, masterfully delivered, and sure to spark debate. This is not a book for the faint-hearted, but for those who can stomach its darkness, Tender is the Flesh is an unflinching examination of humanity’s most terrifying tendencies and a dystopia that mirrors our own world more closely than we’d like to admit. Set in a world where a virus has made animal meat poisonous to humans, society turns to a chilling solution: legalized, industrialized cannibalism. The story follows Marcos, a worker in a “special meat” processing plant, as he navigates the horrors of this new world while silently battling his own conscience. Her prose—terse, sharp, and deliberately clinical—mirrors the dehumanized society she depicts. The novel doesn’t flinch from graphic detail, exposing the brutality of commodifying human life under capitalism. Yet the horror is not in gore alone; it lies in the normalization of the unthinkable. Language becomes complicit—humans bred for meat are called “heads” or “product”—and the lines between what is human and what is not are expertly blurred.

What a disturbing yet fascinating book about a dystopian world that has turned to cannabilism! I was on the fence about this one but once I started I couldn't stop reading. I loved how the main character Marcos seemed to have a deep character growth, remaining in touch with what was left of his humanity. If you want an intriguing read about the "what ifs" of a possible dystopian future then this is the book for you! I promise you won't be disappointed!

Very good read with a shocking ending that I definitely did not see coming. Very easy read but doesnt cover many other characters besides the main one in any depth. Overall a hard to put down read and very greusome read. Definitely a great dark book if you're into that type of stuff, you will not be disappointed.

This is absolutely disgusting but sucks you in! I read it cover to cover in one day. The twists are subtle but jaw dropping at times. I will recommend to friends with a strong stomach.

I liked the story and the themes it presented but at the end it felt kind of rushed as if the author had nothing else to talk about. I also wish the characters were more fleshed out because at times I would confuse each character have to re read sections to see if it was another character or a new one other than that it’s a good read. The ending was a shock lol

Novela de lectura rápida que no te deja indiferente. No apta para lectores aprensivos. Sitúa al lector en un futuro distópico en què los humanos no pueden comer animales, por lo que recurren a la carne humana, que crían en granjas, con leyes y normas para regularlo. La normalización es lo que pone los pelos de punta y no puedes dejar de pensar cómo podría llegar a ser posible, o no ...

Finished reading almost a year ago, and I'm still thinking about it. The ending is spectacular, truly a joy to see that such stories can still be written in the abyss of contemporary unoriginality.

Quite disturbing. I am going to think of this for long time.