Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

544 reviews

pagemaxxer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

the first section really grossed me out (this is a good thing). it made you reflect. and then to me it fell flat afterwards. the ending was not bad too, it did drive the initial point in. but i generally do not find things that are “improbable” such as ghosts, very dystopian settings etc very scary, plus this is the english translation so i will not say it is a bad book. i just personally did not feel as impacted as most did. still very much worth reading! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

stephliljazz's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

When all the animals are dead and cannibalism takes over slaughterhouses. With a story of love in the middle leaving you feeling like WTF did I just read. Yeah it was a good book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

juliannecridlin's review against another edition

challenging dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Blood, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Child death

Minor: Rape

_terah_hansen_'s review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Blood, and Cannibalism

babyvampp's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Torture, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Slavery

Minor: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Trafficking

insidious_toxins's review against another edition

It overwhelmed me with anxiety & usually I’m a very good person at handling morbid things but this book was made to give anxiety & disgust. It achieved its goal but I can’t personally ever recommend this book to anyone at all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

oatmilktea's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

A captivating and disturbing piece of dystopian literary horror, Tender is the Flesh utilises legalised and industrialised cannibalism as a mirror image for humanity's cruelty, double standards, and wilful ignorance of the gruesome realities we won’t acknowledge for the sake of our own convenience and supposedly clear conscience. This novel also explores the dissociation between the food on our plate and its source as well as the juxtaposition of legality and legitimacy.

Some further, critical thoughts that don’t contain actual spoilers, but hint at what is not in the novel, and thus indirectly give away parts of it:

I do wish the author had touched more on veganism–perhaps through (at the least) the mention of a movement, a rebellion, some underground thing going on that might herald a possible end to this “Transition”. Then again, our perspective was limited to that of Marcos, and while he has his suspicions and reservations, he is just another cog in the system, and that seems to be the point after all, frustrating as it may be.

It’s always difficult to guess the author’s intentions, but I believe the novel is supposed to make us feel and think and reflect–among other things–on the status quo of the meat industry as well as all the ethics surrounding the consumption of meat/animal products in the first place, not serve as a handbook on how to dismantle the system. I respect that because that would be a far bigger undertaking, and perhaps that’s enough for this novel, all it can do, to make people feel and think and talk about it. That alone can inspire change in the individual at least, perhaps even more so without the exploration of veganism as an alternative, because in my personal experience so many non-vegans get defensive and shut off all critical thinking/self-reflection the instant there is a vegan at the dinner table.

Difficult to stomach but hard to put down and now seared into my brain. I definitely understand the critiques about there being too much gore for gore's sake, so make sure to check the content warnings.

I read the German translation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Grief, and Pregnancy

Minor: Child death and Death of parent

trying_ceratops's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was… a lot. Definitely well done and well written, but I don’t see myself re-reading it as it was a difficult read in terms of theme and description. 
I think it told an important story of the human psyche and society and about how we’re all just animals in the end. Very dark, very gruesome, but damn is that story one that’ll stick with you. 
I’d suggest this to people who want something that goes beyond macabre into the dark underbelly of how terrible humanity can be.
Well written and the pacing was done very well, but it was a lot. 
I need to read something happy and cozy now. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child death, Eating disorder, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Classism

alicyagrace's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Classism

jaimc's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is one of the only books I've ever read where the entire spectrum from a one-star review to a 5 star review is understandable to me.
It's disgusting and horrific, but also completely unique. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Trafficking

Minor: Child death, Homophobia, Slavery, and Excrement