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pagesplotsandpints 's review for:
Tender Is the Flesh
by Agustina Bazterrica
Read Completed 4/12/23 | I don't think I would have finished this book if it wasn't short, and not just for the horror and grotesque brutality. I had a LOT of mixed feelings on this book. I finally ended up reading it because I've seen it everywhere and so many people rating it five stars (including all four of my Goodreads friends who have read it).
I get all of the messages but I still had a two big issues with the plot.
#1 was that I just didn't believe it... I get holding back some disbelief for the purpose of the novel BUT the author didn't make me believe it. There were a few things that were just totally glossed over with a literal sentence as to why this happened. There really wasn't any backstory or world-building involving what happened with the virus that infected all of the animals and why everyone had to resorted to raising humans for meat. Logically, it just really doesn't make sense. It infected ALL species of animals ALL equally and across the ENTIRE world? That's a really, really big stretch. I guess I'm more picky about it having now seen the pandemic and knowing that the world would react to this in a huge way, making lockdowns of all sorts, quarantining not only people but also animals to save them, and working hard to create any nutrients in plant-based food that humans may be missing from animal proteins, etc. I just... don't see it happening. In a community or localized regions, maybe this would make more sense that people *chose* to resort to this... but this sounded like it was supposed to be everywhere, and I just didn't buy that, mainly because the author didn't even try to sell me on it.
#2 was that... there just wasn't much plot at all. We get a LOT of set-up regarding Marcos' work at the processing plant and and decent amount of his family relationships and history. The personal side isn't a lot, but it's there. I get that this is supposed to be shocking and the first half of the book is LARGELY explaining the processes of the plant. That is necessary to truly be gory (and hey, showing the side of processing plants that don't feel quite as repulsive when it's livestock). I didn't really have a complaint that it was included, more so that it could have been included while developing other things. It was just a lot of details that went on and on. Marcos' personal story was more important in the second half, including an ending that I did not see coming at all, which was cool. I wish the two had been blended just a bit more to make me feel more for Marcos or inform readers a bit more of what the plot of the book is. We get the setting but where is the story going? Is is about finding a cure? Finding happiness? Escaping corruption? Finding a different way in life? I didn't really know why this was all important until the end of the book, and even at that, this could have been one story in a collection of others instead of the main reason why this book was written. I would have actually liked to see other POVs of other characters at the same time to get a more developed world and grow this story on different levels. Instead we kind of have one flat level that was fine, but not earth-shattering to me.
Well, I was curious enough to read it and I was in fact able to eat after reading this. My life isn't ruined. Yay.
I absolutely get the hype and the shock factor BUT I think it could have been better. I don't read a lot of horror and sometimes booktok hype just gets to me. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's horrible. Hey, I read VERITY and really enjoyed it, so you never know where things will take you. I didn't totally click with this one, but I get it.
I get all of the messages but I still had a two big issues with the plot.
#1 was that I just didn't believe it... I get holding back some disbelief for the purpose of the novel BUT the author didn't make me believe it. There were a few things that were just totally glossed over with a literal sentence as to why this happened. There really wasn't any backstory or world-building involving what happened with the virus that infected all of the animals and why everyone had to resorted to raising humans for meat. Logically, it just really doesn't make sense. It infected ALL species of animals ALL equally and across the ENTIRE world? That's a really, really big stretch. I guess I'm more picky about it having now seen the pandemic and knowing that the world would react to this in a huge way, making lockdowns of all sorts, quarantining not only people but also animals to save them, and working hard to create any nutrients in plant-based food that humans may be missing from animal proteins, etc. I just... don't see it happening. In a community or localized regions, maybe this would make more sense that people *chose* to resort to this... but this sounded like it was supposed to be everywhere, and I just didn't buy that, mainly because the author didn't even try to sell me on it.
#2 was that... there just wasn't much plot at all. We get a LOT of set-up regarding Marcos' work at the processing plant and and decent amount of his family relationships and history. The personal side isn't a lot, but it's there. I get that this is supposed to be shocking and the first half of the book is LARGELY explaining the processes of the plant. That is necessary to truly be gory (and hey, showing the side of processing plants that don't feel quite as repulsive when it's livestock). I didn't really have a complaint that it was included, more so that it could have been included while developing other things. It was just a lot of details that went on and on. Marcos' personal story was more important in the second half, including an ending that I did not see coming at all, which was cool. I wish the two had been blended just a bit more to make me feel more for Marcos or inform readers a bit more of what the plot of the book is. We get the setting but where is the story going? Is is about finding a cure? Finding happiness? Escaping corruption? Finding a different way in life? I didn't really know why this was all important until the end of the book, and even at that, this could have been one story in a collection of others instead of the main reason why this book was written. I would have actually liked to see other POVs of other characters at the same time to get a more developed world and grow this story on different levels. Instead we kind of have one flat level that was fine, but not earth-shattering to me.
Well, I was curious enough to read it and I was in fact able to eat after reading this. My life isn't ruined. Yay.
I absolutely get the hype and the shock factor BUT I think it could have been better. I don't read a lot of horror and sometimes booktok hype just gets to me. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's horrible. Hey, I read VERITY and really enjoyed it, so you never know where things will take you. I didn't totally click with this one, but I get it.