26/10/2023
Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (translated by Sarah Moses)
It's so dark and disturbing and it raises a lot of profound ethical questions.
This dystopian novel explores a world where the spread of a virus among animals prevents the consumption of their meat. As people can't fathom a plantbased diet, pragmatism soon overrides compassion and humans are farmed for meat.
Bazterrica's writing is both captivating and unsettling and there were so many haunting scenes, like the protagonist's trips to the deserted zoo.
The story's exploration of dehumanization, the blurring of moral boundaries, and the eerie parallels to our current treatment of animals forces readers to confront uncomfortable truths.
Torturing, experimenting on and killing humans might seem brutal - but that's exactly what happens to animals every day.
In the world Bazterrica creates, there are those humans that only exist as meat sources and those who feel entitled to consume them, much like our distinction between the animals we love and keep as pets and those that are only raised for slaughter.
The author pushes boundaries and sparks conversations about our relationship with animals.
