The Procrastinators Book Club discussion

This is the group thread for Tender Is the Flesh!

This thread is open for discussion beginning June 1st! Please keep in mind that spoilers are allowed (mark as a spoiler) in this thread but only up to the group's current reading place. Do not spoil the book if you've read further than the group. Any extra days of the month can be used to catch up if needed! Page numbers are an approximation based on the hardcover or paperback that is the default on Goodreads.

Week of /01
June 01: Chapters 1-2

Week of /02
June 02: Chapters 3-4
June 03: Chapters 5-6
June 04: Chapters 7-8
June 05: Chapters 9-10
June 06: Chapters 11-12
June 07: Chapters 13-14
June 08: Chapters 15-16

Week of /09
June 09: Chapters 17-18
June 10: Chapters 19-20
June 11: Chapters 21-22
June 12: Chapters 23-24
June 13: Chapters 25-26
June 14: Chapters 27-28
June 15: Chapters 29-30

Week of 05/16
June 16: Chapters 31-32
June 17: Chapters 33-34
June 18: Chapters 35-36
June 19: Chapters 37-38
June 20: Chapters 39-40
June 21: Chapters 41-end


You can read the group book at any time during the month and at your own pace. This is the pace the group will be using, but if you read ahead or will be giving spoilers, please mark them (click the "some html is ok button"). If you have any questions a mod or another member can help you.

Chapter 1+2

That was a lot of exposition straight away but at least the reader is left in no doubt about the horrifyingly gruesome world the book is set in.
Wish I could say this is so dystopian that it feels far removed from our current reality but unfortunately that would be a big fat lie.
Even more disturbing then the general premise to me was the callousness with which people like Marcos boss deal within that world.

Chapter 1-2
@Juliane It’s definitely a very disturbing and horrific situation this book is set in. I fear it will get way more disturbing the further along.

I am listening to this one in Spanish, so I might miss some of the stuff. As a person who is somehow plant forward, I find it quite ironic how cannibalism gets justified by saying this is the only way to get enough protein. Like this would be the perfect setting to become vegan 😜. It’s definitely triggering in many ways… An epidemic caused by eating animals (definitely not impossible)…

Chapters 1-2

I was hooked from the get go. Juliane, I agree that this feels, terrifyingly, not so dystopian. When it comes to horror I do like to be scared or grossed out and based on the reviews, that is exactly what the book is going to deliver. It’s interesting to see our mc’s justifications for why he’s doing what he’s doing- he argues that it’s a necessity for his father and goes on to further justify it by saying Señor Urami is worse. I’m curious to see how Marcos moral compass evolves.

it's been a while since I've read this book but I remember it sticking with me for a very long time. I agree with you all, the degree of callousness in the first few chapters makes my mind spin. It's hard for me to grasp how Señor Urami can just go about his day like this and just call it "work". it's absolutely terrifying.

Chapters 3-6

Wowwwwwwbwe got gruesome. It’s so barbaric and weird. Gringo sending Marcos a woman………I honestly don’t what to expect from him, I find him to be an unreliable narrator, so I guess we’ll have to wait and find out. The way that chapter 6 ended, Marcos saying he wants to break Spanel…… yeah uh ok

Chapter 3-6
It’s just wrong in all sorts of ways. I‘m lost for words honestly.
@Sophie Yes, Marcos sort of seems to be an unreliable narrator, so we’ll see where this is going.

Chapter 7-8
Why does Marcos keep the woman? She obviously makes him feel uncomfortable, so why not give her away or free her? Ok, I‘m maybe naive on this one, but I don’t understand why he keeps her under these conditions. Besides that, not much to say, the chapters are quite short.

Chapters 3-8

So cannibalism and thereby torturing humans is fine but hey at least slavery for work is illegal in this world (sorry I don't know how to approach this with anything but morbid sarcasm) Bloody hell I imagine the leaders having the audacity to justify where they draw the lines when these laws went into effect is ridiculous beyond believe.

Also I wonder if we will find out more about the rest of the world, seems this whole mess is fairly wide spread from what we learned so far of Marcos business contacts, I'm really curious if there is a single part of the world that has rejected this disgrace.

@ Sarah-Vanessa I wondered about that too but I think it might bring us back to your and Sophies point about him seeming to be an unreliable narrator.
On the one hand it might raise difficult questions with the guy who gave the woman to Marcos but also I question what would happen to her being free or if she would even be capabable of surviving, depending on what horrible things might have already been done to her.
On the other hand maybe it is supposed to show some kind of regret on his part considering how the rest of his private life is falling apart.
Although I honestly don't see any path to redemption or at least relief at this point.

@juliane --i totally had that same thought when they talked about the family that owned slaves. ironic what they consider barbaric in this world 🙄

@sarah-vanessa: I decided to switch to Spanish this time around. wasn't expecting that everything comes across as more....intense, to say the least

chapters 10-13
okay, was wondering if we were going to get another character like Señor Urami who enjoyed the whole transition as much as he did. and lo and behold we did. it's grotesquely interesting to see how they process the special meat, even more grotesque how much that job candidate almost got off during the whole process. I'm glad Marcos banned him, he totally deserved that.

was a little sad by the side story of Elenci/Ency. I can't imagine working in a place like that without suffering any kind of psychological side effects--i definitely wouldn't stay sane 🥴

Chapter 9 - 18
@Edith Yey, so cool you switched to the Spanish version! Yes, it’s definitely absolutely intense…

I feel like with every chapter it gets more disturbing… The scene with the guard raping one of the girls and just dumping her. The details used to describe the process of killing and cutting the human meat. It just gives me a shiver every time I think about it.

Chapter 1-3

Reading by audiobook (only copy I could get my hands on in the next several months without ordering/buying it). Very dystopian. But there's an undercurrent of conspiracy theory that maybe this was manufactured for population control. I can say if that actually happened I would embrace veganism with wide open arms. I was extremely sad that all the animals were killed - I couldn't imagine what it would be like without all the plethora of the animal kingdom. The skin stuff is the part of it that was grossing me out the most, with what they did to some of the pregnant women to stop them from killing their fetuses. I'm curious to see where the story will go.

I decided to jump in with the audiobook as well--which may have been a mistake. It's so disturbing to listen to...I might end up DNFing just because I don't have the stomach for it, but I am also really interested in the story. I'm maybe at Chapter 5 or 6? I read some of your thoughts on the first few chapters and I don't really have much to add! You all are bringing it with the analysis. Leslie's conspiracy theory might have some weight to it. I hadn't thought that this might have been done purposefully, but you might be on to something there...

@Leslie I find your theory very interesting.. It definitely makes sense. Do I recall it correctly that somewhere in the book it even gets mentioned? Or am I wrong and just made that up in my head? Being vegan would be the only correct solution from y standpoint.

@Katie I 100% get it. It’s a mixture of constantly being disgusted and triggered, but also wanting to know what will happen.
(view spoiler)[

Chapter 19 - 26
I took a long walk and accidentally went a little ahead.
The scene with the puppy dogs… I was really tearing up there. I can’t imagine how it feels to live in a world without animals… It must be really sad.

Marcos getting the girl/woman pregnant was somewhat disturbing. I was suspecting that would happen, but really hoped it wouldn’t. I mean is it really consensual. I am not sure, what these humans which are breed to be eaten really understand. But it somehow seems she’s ok with it, but I am not really sure. She also can’t speak… Do they mention somewhere why? I mean do they cut their tongue? Because maybe being with Marcos and watching tv that much, she would be able to understand and maybe learn to talk…

I also wonder how Marcos wants to hide that baby? As he said, they would kill him, if they found out he got her pregnant… And they would definitely kill and eat the baby…

And what about Cecilia? So many questions I still need an answer.
(hide spoiler)]

I finished it...it was so hard not to for me. once again, this book is going to be living rent free in my head for the next year or so.

@sarah-vanessa: (view spoiler)[ yes, they can't speak because it's mentioned they rip out their vocal chords to silence their cries of pains when they're about to be slaughtered. and I agree with you on the puppy scene. that made me so sad. I started tearing up at work bc I was also listening to the audiobook.

I also thought that Marcos impregnating Jasmin was weird. it's the most "illegal" thing in their world yet he still does it?? (you know...aside from cannibalism 🙄)

his sister also makes me angry. she's so pretentious and fake and doesn't give two craps about his dad, meanwhile Marcos is dealing with horrendous incident after incident at the factory just to provide for his dad.

I'm also appalled by the scene with Gaston...to think religion would take it a step further and offer up sacrifices like this. it's definitely not out of the realm of imagination but man, it gets you thinking. I'm insaaanely curious as to what Sergio whispers into everyone's ear right before they're about to get stunned and slaughtered. does it ever mention it in the book and I just missed it? it has to be a powerful/thought provoking phrase if it calms them down right before they die. (hide spoiler)]

I finished a little early and these are my final thoughts…

(view spoiler)[ 3 stars ✨

I thought that I was going to enjoy this one more than I did based off of reviews, but I found that there was a lot of unexplored potential.

It was messed up and gross and disgusting…….but is it bad to say I was expecting worse? That I was expecting more commentary and nuanced takes?

Oddly enough it was the removal of the vocal cords that really struck me and got to me. It was so barbaric, so low.

I didn’t quite understand what their logic and moral code was, the world building wasn’t super clear. There was opportunity there to just do more. To have more depth.

It honestly feels frighteningly real. It wouldn’t shock me if in the next 100-200 years we end up this way (assuming earth is still habitable at that point). (hide spoiler)]

I also finished because I could not take dragging it out any longer some of the descriptions were just too horrible 🫣 but I did need to know how it ends

@ Sarah-Vanessa Yes there was definitely a throw-away line at the beginning regarding this possibly being a lie used for controling the amount of people on the planet.
Which is ironic considering Sergio saying in chapter 11 that the current status did not really work against overpopulation or hunger.

Till the end
(view spoiler)[The whole pregnancy plot was so weird, Jasmin seemed to have the developmental level of a young child.
I feel at that point Marcos has lost his grip on reality due to the way his family life has developed. I think this world is so bleak that people lose the ability to really deal with personal problems other than either shoving it deep down and quite possibly going over the edge hurting themselves or becoming sadistic towards others making it far easier to simply accept the cannibalism.

I despise Marcos sister, the way she has arranged herself within this world, probably convincing herself that she is doing everything proper, is disgusting. And the whole image of people in the city protecting themselves from birds via umbrellas is so ludicrous.

Also the parallels between the rich hunters and the poor scavengers are staggering, both groups having dropped all inhibitions.

(hide spoiler)]

I think the extra gross thing about the pregnancy is that, in this world, Marcos essentially committed bestiality. We all know (and I think the characters MUST all know somewhere inside them) that all these people are indeed people, but they also see them as "animals." By their own logic, he assaulted someone who literally cannot consent. Yuck yuck yuck. I'm in the final third, so I'm going to do my best to finish. Anything for points lol. I'm not particularly enjoying this, but this also isn't the type of book you are supposed to enjoy. You are supposed to be disgusted and think, "How could anyone do this?"

@katie, you make a really good point about bestiality. it was hard to read that part for me as well. which as a reader is kind of conflicting because I wanted to understand Marcos' pov but I couldn't not think "holy shit ew ew ew" the entire time. it crazy because if bestiality cases pop up irl they're taboo to talk and no one even thinks about doing the actual deed. yet in this world, all we really get from Marcos is a simple "oh, I shouldn't do this it's super illegal" and a backstory to accompany it, yet he still continues to do so...not only once, but multiple times. it's just... unbelievable.

@Katie Bestiality is the word to describe this… I‘m lost for words…

(view spoiler)[
I don’t know if everyone finished this, so I‘ll put it as a spoiler….
The end left me speechless. I honestly wanted to believe that Marcos had an ounce of humanity left inside of him. Why did he kill Jasmin?!
Now I wonder did he plan this since he got her? So him and Cecilia could have a kid. Or did he kill Jasmin, because he had no other choice as he needed Cecilia to rescue his son. I need answers!

Overall it’s a 4 star read.
I think you can’t really say „I enjoyed this book“, for obvious reasons. The theme itself and how a lot of scenes get described are horrible, disgusting and terrifying. But it’s definitely a book I‘ll never forget and that had me thinking a lot about the darkness of the human kind. What human beings could be capable of doing. And how some things were totally accepted within society - although they’re obviously wrong - while other things were not allowed without any reasonable logic behind.
. (hide spoiler)]

I am a little behind, but catching up quickly! Just made it to Part 2 listening to the audiobook!
So far, it is giving me a very dry feeling. I have seen a lot of reviews describe it as "bland" but something is telling me that that is the point. To put the reader in the "I have to be so far removed from the reality and horror of the situation just to continue living 'life'" I find it interesting! The only thing that I think frustrates me (maybe in a good way) is the mystique surrounding the other characters. I want to know more! But I am sure I am not going to find out because the main character just couldn't care less.

@Chey looking forward to read more of your thoughts. It’s bland in a way yes, but I think it’s definitely intentional or supposed to be like that.

This so did not end the way I expected (or hoped) it would end. I was a bit disappointed in the fate of Jasmine; coupled with that was my disappointment in Marcos' lack of self-development in his character when I thought he was making more "humane" decisions from those around him. This book was an exercise in brutality and some of the worst of human behavior.