Tender Is the Flesh
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In honor of the 10 year anniversary of this book blog, I’ve asked a few VIP book lovers to write guest reviews. This review is by Monica Willoughby, a prolific reader who helps me stay young by discussing the latest TikTok trends with me. Very cool of us! Here’s her review of Tender is the Flesh:
Incredibly relentless and disgusting. And... I couldn't make myself stop reading it. I am not typically a horror/ gore reader, but when this kept showing up, curiosity got the better of me and I waited several long months to get my hands on a library copy. A virus has rendered all animals and animal products on earth inedible. The reader is dropped into a reality where humans are bred, raised, and slaughtered for consumption.
"No one can call them humans because that would mean giving them an identity. They call them product, or meat, or food."
Enough to make your stomach turn? It gets worse. We follow a male narrator who works at a local meat house and is dealing with a variety of life's trials and moral issues. There's no elongated, over- explanatory, wordy, or detailed introduction like many novels taking on such a heavy, taboo- laden dystopian world. Instead we are just plonked into the madness and told "this is the way it is now, deal with it." The most insane part is that about half way through, it almost feels normal.
Honestly, it's a tough book to review without giving away too much. The premise is the draw to crack the spine (couldn't resist the pun, sorry.) If you have a strong stomach, can handle descriptions of violence, and your interest is piqued, go for it. If you're judging me for reading it cover it cover, I get that too.
Tender is the Flesh receives 3 out of 5 flames. I deducted flames because the writing was a bit monotone, there wasn’t a ton of character development aside from the main narrator, and honestly, just the general brutality made it difficult to read.
