Tender Is The Flesh Review

McNasty

A Disturbing Mirror to Our World

Happy Wednesday! I read this a while ago but I made sure to tab a bunch so I could write something solid. Agustina Bazterrica's Tender Is the Flesh was a short and deeply unsettling read. This Argentine dystopian horror novel has been causing readers to wince since its English translation appeared, and I need to issue a serious content warning upfront—this book contains extremely graphic depictions of violence, cannibalism, and dehumanization that will be disturbing to many readers. However, for those who can stomach its brutality, it offers a searing critique of industrial agriculture, capitalism, and human nature that's impossible to ignore.

When Humans Become Livestock

Tender Is the Flesh presents a world where a virus has made animal meat deadly to consume, leading humanity to transition to farming other humans—euphemistically called "special meat"—for food. Marcos works at a processing plant, navigating this new reality while grappling with personal tragedy and the moral compromises required for survival. When he's gifted a young woman designated for slaughter, he faces choices that define his survival and challenge humanity.

Bazterrica's unflinching examination of industrialized brutality represents the novel's greatest strength. By replacing animals with humans in our existing agricultural systems, she forces readers to confront the violence we typically ignore or rationalize. The clinical language used to describe horrific processes—the same sanitized terminology our food industry employs—becomes deeply unsettling when applied to human subjects. The allegory isn't subtle by any means; it's a mirror held up to contemporary society.

I’m not entirely sure if the author has a background in the meat industry but her meticulous attention to detail is at the very least well researched. The processing procedures, government regulations, and economic structures feel disturbingly plausible, grounded in real-world agricultural practices. Bazterrica doesn't rely on fantastical explanations—instead, she demonstrates how existing systems could be adapted with horrifying efficiency.

Marcos's psychological journey anchors the philosophical horror in human experience. His grief over his life and relationship, and his moral numbness create a compelling portrait of someone trapped between survival and conscience. Bazterrica avoids simple moral judgments, instead exploring how ordinary people can participate in extraordinary evil through incremental compromises and social pressure.

The novel's spare, precise prose serves its brutal content perfectly. Bazterrica writes with clinical detachment that reflects her protagonist's psychological state while making the horror more impactful through understatement. The translation by Sarah Moses captures this austere tone effectively.

The novel's relentless bleakness may overwhelm some readers. The lack of hope or redemption, while thematically appropriate, creates an emotionally exhausting reading experience. Additionally, certain scenes seem designed primarily for shock value rather than advancing the narrative or themes, though this could be argued as necessary to prevent readers from becoming comfortable with the horrific situation.

Tender Is the Flesh succeeds as both horror novel and social commentary, forcing uncomfortable questions about consumption, complicity, and the thin veneer of civilization.

For its unflinching moral examination and powerful social critique, I give it 4/5 stars.

Spoiler Section:

Marcos's decision to impregnate Jasmine and then kill her in the end represents the novel's most devastating moment. His brief experience of love and hope makes his final choice even more horrific—he literally consumes his own possibility for redemption and connection. This act—in my opinion—demonstrates how the system has corrupted him so completely that he can only relate to others as commodities, even when genuine feeling briefly emerges.

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Love Sci-fi? Check out my book Finitude and Beyond.

To those of you who enjoy science-fiction, Finitude and Beyond is collection of short stories that examine the darker connections of humanity and technology.

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