Tender Is the Flesh

By far the most gruesome and sickening, yet so fascinating and realistic book I´ve ever read. In a future where a virus has made animal meat impossible to consume, humans rely on systematic cannibalism, to keep up with the meat production. "Special" meat, as they call it, has become an expensive and delicacy and we follow Marcos through a few months of his life and the head of a meat production plant. Parts of it were so disgusting, but so undeniably human. It´s a direct mirror to how todays society would definetly react if something like that happened in real life.

Wer seine Bücher gerne möglichst abstoßend, makaber und schlichtweg schrecklich mag, kommt hier allemal auf seine Kosten. Auf stumpfeste Weise werden die ekelhaften, schaurigen Details einer kannibalistischen Gesellschaft offengelegt und Begierden des Einzelnen gelüftet. Wer denkt, im Laufe des Buches das Schlimmste schon gelesen zu haben, der wird jedes mal wieder überrascht, und besonders das Ende lässt einen mit einem besonders ekligen Geschmack im Mund zurück. Es mag vielleicht kein schönes Buch sein, dafür ist es eines, das erschüttert, unsere Definition von Menschlichkeit hinterfragt und die dunkelsten Seiten von "Brauchen" und "Wollen" klar beschreibt. Wirklich stark!

This book describes a disturbing possible future, where humans have to be slaughtered to satisfy the demand for meat. This read like a vegan manifesto and I loved it! The descriptions are heavily gory and disgusting, so you might want to check the trigger warnings before picking this up! I also did not foresee the ending, which was so clever and really stuck with me for a few days!

I have a lot of complex thoughts about this book. It’s based on an interesting premise: What if cannibalism were legal, and what would humans be capable of then? It quickly becomes clear that, if left to their own devices, humans are capable of unspeakable acts. The book offers a profound critique of consumer behavior and explores themes such as bodily autonomy, violence, and humanity. At times, I felt like I couldn’t quite keep up with the protagonist and his experiences. All in all, ”Tender Is the Flesh“ is a dystopia that left a lasting impression and offers room for discussion.

"If slaughtering and eating human flesh is allowed, would you?" Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica is a chilling dystopian novel, that deals with exactly this question. The book is set in a world where humans are grown and harvested for their meat because animals are not able to serve as food anymore. We follow Marcos, who works in the industry that slaughters humans, or as they are only referred to, 'meat'. Through his eyes, the novel explores disturbing dehumanization and society's condition for cruelty and indifference. "If they are doing it, why shouldn´t I?" Agustina Bazterrica's writing is haunting and shoking, forcing readers to deal with uncomfortable truths about exploitation and our own morality. The premise is unsettling, but serves as a powerful comment on the fragility of human dignity and the cost of ignoring systemic violence. This disturbing and grotesque read is not for the faint of heart, but it's an unforgettable exploration of what happens when society loses its humanity.