Tender is the Flesh – Agustina Bazterrica

This book horrified me. Partly because I could see psychology experiments I have studied, things from the real world, reflected in such a dystopian hell.

It really did not pull any punches. The cannibalism is there, plain as day. It displays the cruelty and sadistic nature of mankind in a relentless barrage of images: the carving of skin, eating people alive, discussing how their family members would taste, and meat factories.

Meat factories.

That being said, the book fell flat. Let’s get into it.

The main character, Marcos, is working at one of the many slaughterhouses in order to take care of his sick father. He has recently lost a baby and his wife is not living in the home with him. He’s alone. He’s conflicted. Animals have a virus that makes them dangerous and inedible, so they’ve turned to eating humans. The government has legalized this. These individuals are referred to as “head” and their meat is called “special meat”. The plot is driven from that.

You would think that a book written about grief and loss during a time where cannibalism has become institutionalized would have you on the edge of your seat. I’m sad to say that I had to force myself to read it.

This book its not meant to be read easily. It is not a cute little thrilling walk in the park. The sentence structure is a little dry from the translation and the plot feels flat. The book is more about the dystopia and the development of Marcos as a character.

It is divided into two parts. The first part of the book serves to introduce the reader to a world of cannibalism. It gives us background on Marcos and his relationship with his wife, Cecilia, as well as his affair with the butcher. I enjoyed that I was given the time to acclimate to a world where cannibalism is the norm. Bazterrica gives you plenty of time to do that. In fact, it’s almost too much time. The pace was slow which made it challenging to stay engaged with this character and his motives.

The second part of the book was faster paced and more interesting. There was more external conflict and the stakes were established.

A lot of speculations can be made about this book. A lot.

Is this book attacking the meat industry as a whole? Is it saying that humans can easily become like cattle, mindless and obedient to the government? Is it questioning the true autonomy of human beings?

It is fun to think about what type of commentary the book is making about the state of human nature.

His sister, Marisa, is obsessed with climbing social ladders. This is to the point where she shows off her FGD (pure) head at a party, carving it alive and serving the “special meat” fresh. Are humans this desperate to fit in and be on top of the social ranking that they would torture another human being? Is this level of cruelty and coldness actually achievable?

There are two psychology experiments that lend credibility to this.

In Tender is the Flesh, the government is who dictates that human flesh can be consumed. This direction comes from an authority figure. Human beings listen to authority figures, even if it causes another pain.

Stanley Milgram conducted a psychological experiment in 1963 in which people of varying educations were instructed to administer a level of volts to another individual on the basis of teaching/learning. Volts ranged from 15 to 450, a fatal level of electricity.

The volts were fake, and the “learner”, the one being shocked, was one of Milgram’s associates who was acting. The teachers were the ones being studied as they were being encouraged to administer increasingly high levels of electricity. How far would they go?

The answer? Very far. This is confounding because throughout the experiment, the subjects elicited reactions of extreme distress and tension. They were biting their nails, sweating, trembling, and even breaking out into laughing fits. It caused them great personal discomfort to administer these shocks. It even went against their moral code. But they did it anyway because they were being encouraged by another authority figure in the room to administer the shocks.

In Tender is the Flesh, Marcos is implied to experience distress and discomfort as he looks on with repulsion at the slaughterhouse. He turns his nose up at those who enjoy it, but he still works there. He still partakes in consuming human flesh. The government, his boss, and all of his friends are telling him to consume and kill and slaughter. Why wouldn’t he? What reason does he have to walk away, even if it does cause him internal conflict?

His sister, Marisa, purchased a head and carved it up. The government is telling her to. Society is telling her the wealthy consume special meat fresh. They’re saying, “Torture a head. It’s what you should do.”

Milgram covers this and more in his book, Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View.

Philip Zimbardo conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment in 1971. There are two groups of people in this experiment: prisoners and prison officers. Tender is the Flesh adopts a tactic that was seen observed in this experiment in which the prisoners are referred to as numbers, not by their names. Tender is the Flesh refers to the people they are eating as “head” or “special meat”, anything but a name. It allows for greater cruelty and disconnect from unconscionable acts. Philip Zimbardo covers this in The Lucifer Effect, a book he wrote about the experiment and where else in the world he has seen these effects observed.

It is really fascinating to read a book that examines human nature like this. Dystopians often provide a unique window into how cruel humans can be.

Some have critiqued this book for going “too far”. It did not. Experiments show that humans are cruel and will do anything to survive and preserve their social status.

3/5.

Great discussion starter, hard to read. Flat and thin.

I’m rooting for an Animal Farm-esque revolution. Put the pigs in charge again.

If you like horror, I will be posting a short story for Valentine’s Day next Tuesday. It involves… Pizza. Pizza’s fun, right? Edit: you can read it here.

“Today I’m the butcher. Tomorrow I might be the cattle.”

Agustina Bazterrica, Tender is the Flesh