The following morning, while observing the female sleep, Marcos feels aroused by her body and scent. When Marcos returns home, he chops up Leo's old cot. After he hangs up, Marcos realizes Cecilia may never recover from Leo's death. Instead of comforting him, Cecilia bursts into tears. Although he understands her pain, he reminds her that he lost their son too. Visiting the zoo calms him down and reminds him of his father.ĭuring a call with Cecilia one day, Marcos finally tells her how he feels. Whenever Marcos is upset, he visits an abandoned zoo not far from New Dawn. He is unsure what to do with the female, as he feels incapable of slaughtering her for meat and disinterested in inseminating and breeding her. Rather than feeling grateful, Marcos feels irritated by the gift. The female specimen is of a pure class of head, and is meant to show Gringo's appreciation for his company's relationship with Marcos's company.

One day, a Krieg client called El Gringo sends Marcos a gift: a female FGP. She constantly uses her children as an excuse for failing to visit Don Armando or to contribute to his care. Marcos has assumed the financial burden of Don Armando's care, because his sister Marisa refuses to help. This is because Marcos is responsible for his elderly father's care.Īfter his father Don Armando had a mental breakdown, Marcos moved him to an expensive residential facility called New Dawn Nursing Home. However, he also feels incapable of abandoning his work merely to live out his beliefs.

Because of the graphic nature of his work, Marcos perpetually feels at odds with his vocational responsibilities. The plant is responsible for the slaughtering of human meat, euphemistically deemed head or product. He holds a position of power at Krieg Processing Plant. In order to tamp his sorrow, Marcos endeavors to focus on his work. Although Marcos is still grieving, he has trouble confronting his loss and thus healing from it. Ever since her departure, Marcos's living space has felt empty and absent of life. Written from the third person point of view, the novel traces the life and internal conflicts of the protagonist, Marcos, as he tries to reconcile himself with his new cultural context.Īfter Marcos's son Leo dies, his wife Cecilia moves out of their home. Following the outbreak of a virus infecting animals, the society designs a solution to their lack of meat: breeding and slaughtering human beings for food. Pushkin Press Limited, 2020.Īgustina Bazterrica's novel Tender Is the Flesh is set in a dystopian society. The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Bazterrica, Agustina.

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