tsar
There's nothing subtle about Tender is the Flesh. Everything is in your face, which isn't necessarily bad. Some of the best satire is also unsubtle; it is in your face and raw, written specifically to make one uncomfortable and think.
Did this book make me uncomfortable?
Yes, I felt uncomfortable because of the gory details mentioned but that's expected as it is there to shock and provoke. Yet it didn't make me uncomfortable enough to think about this dystopia.
The book chronicles the moral decline of human society into cannibalism, parodying the animal meat industry and its overconsumption.
Through this dystopian society, the author highlights the dog-eat-dog (pun not intended) nature of humans. She wants you to be grossed out by the human condition — its gullibility, ignorance, selfishness and silent complicity.
Still, I didn't buy it.
Although the book primarily tells the story of the protagonist and his POV showing how someone working in this human meat processing plant seemingly starts taking the red pill and questioning the motives of this government sanctioned cannibalism and he isn't alone. There are others who also believe that conspiracy.
So, it felt hard to buy into this dystopian society because the book never goes deeper into that plot point.
It starts and ends with the theme that everyone uses everyone to meet their needs.
Hence I think it is a good horror book, not a good dystopian fiction.
There's nothing subtle about Tender is the Flesh. Everything is in your face, which isn't necessarily bad. Some of the best satire is also unsubtle; it is in your face and raw, written specifically to make one uncomfortable and think.
Did this book make me uncomfortable?
Yes, I felt uncomfortable because of the gory details mentioned but that's expected as it is there to shock and provoke. Yet it didn't make me uncomfortable enough to think about this dystopia.
The book chronicles the moral decline of human society into cannibalism, parodying the animal meat industry and its overconsumption.
Through this dystopian society, the author highlights the dog-eat-dog (pun not intended) nature of humans. She wants you to be grossed out by the human condition — its gullibility, ignorance, selfishness and silent complicity.
Still, I didn't buy it.
Although the book primarily tells the story of the protagonist and his POV showing how someone working in this human meat processing plant seemingly starts taking the red pill and questioning the motives of this government sanctioned cannibalism and he isn't alone. There are others who also believe that conspiracy.
So, it felt hard to buy into this dystopian society because the book never goes deeper into that plot point.
It starts and ends with the theme that everyone uses everyone to meet their needs.
Hence I think it is a good horror book, not a good dystopian fiction.