Seems like a few people will be reading this. So why not a thread Through 8 chapters. This is a tough read. It’s written very well but the subject matter is a tough hang. I’m also a wuss when it comes to gross shit so your milage will vary. It’s very good tho
My thoughts after digesting for a bit Spoiler As I said in the previous post - didnt know what this book was about and leaped it. Was smacked right in the face. it was such a tough hang for the first half. Not because it was bad, but because the author did such a good job immersing you into the world. It was so stomach turning. Idk if I would have been able to do it all if the book was longer. So much social commentary here that I loved. Obviously very anti meat industry/factory farming. Idk if ive every considered going vegan, but this definitely made me consider it. I wont, but yeesh. There's literally no ethical consumption in capitalism. Being trendy and seeking status over morals ect. And finally our ability to so easily dehumanize each other. I thought this book was just pretty good, but the ending kicked it up a notch. Really drove the point home. At first I thought it was kind of a deus ex machina and a little turned off. But after thinking about it more - there were clues. First of all, he straight up raped Jasmine. She couldnt give consent. Then he still kept her locked up like a dog. Basically kept her in a crate when he was away. Was always rubbing her belly. You think maybe he is actually worried about her well being, and doing all that for her own good in his mind. But really it was all just to keep the baby safe and to get his wife back. And her objection to killing jasmine was that she could have given them another baby. Goddam. Also - what kind of mind do you need to think of all that. Author was in big time sickko mode.
Read the 1st chapter last week and have been busy but plan on picking it back up this week. I love that the author just spelled out early instead of layering the past throughout the book. That's what I need right now.
I’m on vacation and read the entire book today. holy shit it was… great? Yeah it was great. I loved it. Totally fucked up.
End of the book spoiler: DO NOT ACCIDENTALLY CLICK Spoiler I’m sitting by the pool next to my wife going “oh fuck, oh man what’s he doing, oh I’m not sure I can finish this” when he calls Cecilia and invites her over and then “Oh damn what the fuck!” When he knocks out Jasmine and you realize he and Cecilia are going to raise the baby as their own. My wife was reminding me there were other people around us. Didn’t see it coming but thought it was a great ending. I’ll have to mull over it and post some more thoughts later.
Spoiler the ending is so abrupt and hits like a ton of bricks. Didn’t see it coming at all. It’s so good in that it opens up so many things to discus/ think about.
Finished Spoiler I had a suspicion at the ending based on the clues already mentioned, but it still hit hard when reading. I loved the "one off" characters we meet throughout the novel, especially Urlet and Dr. Valka. Just some completely unhinged psychopaths.
Hah that is a great point. It almost gives off McCarthy vibes in that he has interesting conversations with very strange people during the course of his occupation. that’s about where the McCarthy comparisons end lol
Just finished today. How long do we use spoilers? I assume it’s safe not to now? First thought was “what the fuck did I just read”. I want to get the audio book in Spanish to see how it translates in English unfortunately I don’t read Spanish well enough to be able to read it properly. Anyway while the ending was a gut punch it really didn’t shock me maybe because I had recently read The Quiet Tenant which obviously has similar themes. I guess the naming of Jasmine and his seemingly disdain for “special meat” were merely red herrings. This is truly a book that will stay with me for a bit and I need a break from reading for a couple days. I’m not going vegan but this book could lead people down that path imo.