5/18/2023 0 Comments Tender is the flesh readI had to read this book piecemeal, taking regular breathing breaks, and digesting it slowly (pun intended but seriously). It seemed, too, an imputation of humanity itself its malleable, adaptable nature the perfect medium with which to mold a society that can routinely separate itself from, and turn a blind eye to, the suffering of the "other". It resonated with me as a wholesale indictment of capitalism and its requisite dehumanisation - turning human beings into fodder for profit. The book is clearly a meditation on factory farming and the detailed way that the processing of "heads" is described is enough to make anyone squirm. While grieving the death of his infant son and his wife's departure and dealing with his dying father, Marcos is gifted a Grade A female specimen from one of his suppliers and despite knowing the strict rules about personal interactions with heads, Marcos can't help but start treating her with empathy. Since "The Transition" (from animal to human meat because of a virus) Marcos, once a butcher, has continued on in the profession while detesting it and trying to dissociate from his reality. Only they're not called "human" when they're bred for food, they're called "heads" and are treated as cattle. Marcos Tejo is a manager at a processing plant where the meat that is slaughtered are humans. I didn't expect a pounding to my senses like this. I knew that the premise of this book was dark but dark is okay. This novel was an onslaught of brutality.
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