The closest we get to a glimpse of this is the main character essentially being described as not caring one way or another, human or non-human slaughter, because he was only in the industry in order to pay for his father's nursing home. We didn't even really get anything in the way of showing how people came to accept this cannibalistic way of life, or how those who work in these factories are affected in their personal lives. There were certainly minor suggestions toward some things, but they were quickly set aside in order to either continue describing the horrific acts inflicted upon these farmed humans, or to meander on about mundane things in the main character's personal life that ended up having little to no significance on the overall story. As I entered this book and continued reading through it, I often wondered, "are we going to examine which humans are deemed 'food humans' in a meaningful way? Does it even matter? Does race, class, sexuality, or anything come into play in this near-future dystopian world that so closely could resemble our own?"Īnd the answer is no.
The point is, a book with this concept could tackle some serious societal issues - environmental destruction, racism, health, food insecurity, speciesism, etc. Or the fact that most people eat fish, have no qualms with the concept of fishing, but will protest whale hunting as it applies to various Indigenous cultures, particularly Inuit. Just think about the fact that in the western part of the world, most people don't think twice about eating certain animals as food, but will get disgusted, enraged and even downright racist when other cultures in other parts of the world eat animals westerners don't view as 'food animals'. You would think that a concept such as: "imagine what the world would be like if humans were treated the way we treat animals in factory farms" would have a lot to say. A virus that turns animal meat poisonous to humans causes humans to slaughter every non-human animal and begin factory farming human beings for food instead. Unfortunately, Tender Is The Flesh didn't live up to that expectation for me. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (as well as its film adaptation) is just one example of a successful novel of this nature. I think it can lay out valuable examinations of so many aspects of society that deserve to be scrutinized, all while remaining allegorical. I definitely think literature depicting graphic violence doesn't automatically disqualify it from being anything more than an assault on the senses or torture porn.
Many might say that a book dealing with the level of brutality and horrific subject matter that makes up this book could never be thoughtful or highbrow.
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