As the weather begins to cool and Halloween creeps closer with every passing day, the irresistible urge to curl up with a spine-tingling book starts to bubble back up. If you’re craving something delightfully disturbing to satisfy your horror-related desires, look no further than Agustina Bazterrica.
Bazterrica is an Argentine writer highly awarded for her incredibly dark fiction novels covering taboo topics such as religious cults and even cannibalism. While Bazterrica has written many novels, most of them only exist in Spanish. Only three of her novels have been translated into English by translator Sarah Moses, but I would say that all three are worth checking out!
Tender is the Flesh
Personal Rating: 4.5 stars — Goodreads Rating: 3.78 stars
Content Warning: Violence, gore, dehumanization, animal abuse, rape, sexual abuse, and assault
“No one can call them humans because that would mean giving them an identity. They call them products, or meat, or food. Except for him; he would prefer not to have to call them by any name.” Tender is the Flesh is Bazterrica’s most renowned novel and for good reason. The story is set in a world where a cryptic virus has contaminated all animal meat, leaving it inedible. To address this lack of protein, through a process referred to by the government as “the Transition,” former animal processing plants switch to breeding, slaughtering, and selling humans for consumption. The story follows the protagonist (if we can call him that), Marcos, as he goes through his day-to-day life working at a local processing plant.
One thing Tender is the Flesh does very well is the way it explores moral grey areas. Marcos objects to this cannibalistic practice, but continues to work within this system as he has a family to provide for, playing on ideas of what objection really means when not accompanied by action. The novel embodies horror in every sense of the word; with graphic depictions of the processing and eating of humans, it leaves you feeling physically unsettled. And the ending… all I can say is it will leave you staring at the wall for a while. Easily Bazterrica’s best piece, and absolutely worth the read if you can stomach it.
The Unworthy: A Novel
Personal Rating: 3 stars — Goodreads Rating: 3.65 stars
“Maybe one day, in some future now, someone will read what I have written and learn of our existence.” The Unworthy: A Novel is a post-apocalyptic account, set in a desolate world where all major civilizations have been destroyed by the climate catastrophe. We follow an unnamed narrator as she makes her way into a violent religious convent known as “The Sacred Sisterhood.” She joins the ranks of “the unworthy,” dreaming of ascending within the discipleship to the level of “the Enlightened.” When an outsider joins the sisterhood, our narrator begins to question everything.
There were a lot of parts of this book that were really successful. Bazterrica’s world-building sucks you into this universe, allowing you to be fully immersed in a storyline that feels like it could take place in a not-so-distant future. The descriptions struck an amazing balance between beauty and horror. I also enjoyed the style and pacing of the prose; the novel consists fully of diary entries, with the narrator even occasionally stopping mid-sentence out of fear of being caught.
My main critique of the novel is that not a lot happens. Sure, you find out more about the convent and the tumultuous past that leads our protagonist to the point of our story, but beyond those small snippets of information, it’s mostly a vibes-based book. Don’t get me wrong, the vibes are incredibly compelling and told in vivid detail, but if you struggle with slow-paced books, you’ll likely struggle with The Unworthy.
Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird
Goodreads Rating: 3.12
Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird is the last of the three English-translated publications by Bazterrica, but unfortunately, I can’t attest to its quality as I haven’t read it…yet. This novel consists of 19 short stories, and I imagine they are all as spellbinding and thought-provoking as the rest of Bazterrica’s works. Definitely on my TBR, and I think it should be on yours too.
So, if you’re looking to add a little horror to your fall reading lineup, Agustina Bazterrica is a name you’ll want to remember. Her work is visceral and impactful, making her novels the perfect companion for these upcoming autumn nights. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you!