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 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.

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.

The book was intriguing, could stop reading it to be honest. I personally didn’t think the ending was shocking at all. I was told that this was a super creepy book but after reading it I just don’t think it’s all that terrifying. I will say however I was quite creeped out by how it was made to seem that harvesting people could actually be something to happen irl.

Im halfway through this book but its amazing. Its about how there was a virus and now people cant eat animal meat so they farm humans for eatting purposes. Its very dystopia vibes. Really well written and keeps the reader captivated

To say i had devourd the Book was an understatement. The Story was a twisted Adventure i dont regret at all joining. I get the hype but theres so much potential for a second book and even more gut clenching scenarios about the mentioned labartory i personal found kinda sad that its not used. Who likes it a bit weird to read and is ready for an adventure in the darks of the Human mind,should defintly give this book a read.