October Reading Wrapup: What to Read Next

Genre: Dark Adult Dystopian Sci-Fi Thriller
Publisher: Scribner

Holy freaking shit.

Tender is the Flesh is one of those novels that leaves you staring in the distance, contemplating life and humanity.

You can read more about the author here.

It all started with an infectious virus that made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then came the ‘Transition’: eating human meat, or ‘special meat’ is legal. Marcos works in one of the factories that slaughter humans for meat (although no one calls them human anymore). Then one day he gets some quality meat, and though he’s forbidden from personal contact, he does. And little by little he starts to treat her like a human again.

Read on for my review of this book.

Story

It’s not a story for the faint of heart. As you start, you’ll find yourself disgusted on more than one occasion. As the story progresses, however, it’ll start to become more and more normal.

Interesting how humans can adapt so quickly, right?

It helped, I think, that it was told with a certain detachment from everything. I did need to get used to this style of writing, I have to admit. But I did understand why it was written in such a way. If the writing had been more immersive, it would’ve been practically impossible to read through some of the events.

This is also not a story about an uprising or a protest for human rights (even those raised specifically for consumption). Marcos is not a hero.

He’s just doing what most people do in these types of situations: he adapts and makes the best of his circumstances.

All the while, you keep wondering what he’s going to do with the head he got as a gift. If he’s going to, at least, make a difference in how she’s treated. If it will make him view things differently.

And then comes the ending.

Holy shit.

I did not see it coming. And it was absolutely jarring. But also a perfect fit for this book.

Characters

There are several characters in this book, but Marcos is the main character. He’s a man who’s still reeling from the loss of his infant child. His wife went away to her mother to heal, leaving him to deal with things by himself. On top of it, he’s had to watch his father break because of the Transition. He’s now in a nursing home that Marcos has to pay for.

We follow along with him on his daily chores. They’re what you expect from someone who works in a slaughterhouse: goes to suppliers to inspect the product, goes to butchers and other clients for orders, and makes rounds in the factory to ensure that everything’s done right.

It just makes everything seem a lot different when the product is humans. These are all raised for slaughter, their vocal cords cut.

As such, Marcos isn’t exactly a highly likable character. We feel empathy for him because of his situation, but at the same time, you want him to stop being so passive and do something about it.

But as I said: this is not that kind of book.

Worldbuilding

This was done really well. I had a similar feeling with this as I had with Handmaid’s Tale in that it feels both far removed yet also within the realm of possibilities.

What would the meat industry do if they couldn’t sell meat anymore? Surely they wouldn’t just call it a day?

And we know the lobby of the meat industry is huge. I don’t think it’s too far fetched that they would get the assistance of the government to make “special meat” available to the masses.

And as for people readily consuming it: it’s all about the branding, isn’t it?

Nowadays, when you buy a burger or a steak, you don’t recognize the animal it’s made from either. So, if it’s simply labeled as “special meat,” why wouldn’t you buy it?

They’re just things that were raised for slaughter, right?

What really called to the hypocrisy of it all was the reaction of people when talking about those who ate “meat with a name.” While it was perfectly okay to eat a human (head) that was raised for this specific purpose, it was definitely not okay to just kill and eat a “normal” human.

This made me think a bit about the distinction we often make as well: while we find it okay to eat meat when it’s raised for this purpose, we frown upon those who eat animals we consider to be pets (such as cats and dogs).

Conclusion

Now, before this book review gets too long: if you love a thought-provoking book that will grip you to the bone and will not let you go: Tender is the Flesh is your book.

You need to have a little bit of a strong stomach, although the detached style of the writing helps to ease into the story. It’s a slow-building story, where not always something is actually happening or you don’t necessarily feel a sense of progress.

But, somehow, it doesn’t really need that, either. The world is simply fascinating enough, and the escalating events that do happen keep you hooked in the story, all the way to that jaw-dropping ending.

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