I’d place this up there with The Handmaid’s Tale.
Rating: 5/5
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.
This was voted as my February #EnchantedReadsBookClub pick!
I really had no idea what I was getting myself into here. I knew it was about society turning to eating human flesh. But it was so much more than that. This was intense. Disturbing. Unforgettable.
This was intense. Disturbing. Unforgettable.
I’ll never forget this book. This gave me vibes of The Handmaid’s Tale (the book more than the show.) Especially in how it’s written and the way it flows. Both of these, I felt were more about the world rather than the plot. And the world building in this was so cringeworthy! But I couldn’t look away! I couldn’t put this down. I was deeply disturbed. But I was entirely entranced. And what I loved the most was how real it felt. It’s genuinely scary how real it felt!
And what I loved the most was how real it felt. It’s genuinely scary how real it felt!
I could easily see this as a future for our world. It raises a lot of questions in regards of society norms and propaganda and morals. This made for a great book club pick! The discussion we had was so fun and entertaining. The topics this book touches on and sparked such thought-provoking questions.
Overall, I loved this one. I feel weird saying. But I genuinely mean that. I’d place this up there with The Handmaid’s Tale. I think this would be a great read for fans of that and anyone who enjoys dystopian horrors.