Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
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Synopsis
THE RUNAWAY NATIONAL BESTSELLER AND INTERNATIONAL SENSATION Working at the local processing plant, Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans—though no one calls them that anymore. His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then governments initiated the “Transition.” Now, eating human meat—“special meat”—is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing. Then one day he’s given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost—and what might still be saved.
Tags
Tender Is the Flesh: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
Extremely disturbing dystopian novel featuring cannibalism, state-sanctioned slaughter of humans as livestock, and graphic depictions of processing facilities. Deeply philosophical but intensely graphic and psychologically harrowing.
What to know going in
This book has graphic violence, mild sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include human trafficking, slavery, graphic violence, gore, and murder (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Adult readers interested in challenging philosophical dystopian fiction that examines dehumanization and complicity will find this unforgettably disturbing.