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A review by mcgbreads
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica
dark
fast-paced
3.0
ARC review; thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the access to this ebook. Pub date: Mar 04, 2025.
First of all, I have to say: if someone sewed live cockroaches into my pillowcase so they get free while I'm sleeping, that would be the last thing they do.
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I loved Tender Is the Flesh, so I was excited to see this is coming up in 2025 and was very happy to get the ARC. I don't know how to feel about it now that I've read it, though... I can confidently say it won't be for everyone but if it works, it works. It didn't work for me 100%, mainly because I'm not a fan of stream-of-consciousness writing, fragmented narratives, and extremely vague worldbuilding. Still, I couldn't stop reading.
This is set in a world ravaged by climate disaster, so it's post-apocalyptic. In this world, there's a convent that takes in stray women, and if they're not sick, they get to join the ranks and potentially rise through them. There's a hierarchy, and it's a truly awful, bleak place that thrives on torture and pain, but it's better than being out there. That's the setting.
We only have one POV and it's one of the "unworthy." We follow her daily life as she navigates the dynamics of the convent, which have changed all the women into cruel, unempathetic animals, and tries to recover memories of her life before the convent. One day, she finds a woman in the woods who changes everything when she's taken in.
Most of the book is confusing, uncomfortable to read, and just... strange. The last 20 to 30% was my favorite and the ending worked for me. As I said, it's very stream-of-consciousness and vague, but if you ride the wave, it's an interesting reading experience. The horror is quite gross, Bazterrica is very good at that, and there are themes below the surface, it's just a bit difficult to parse them out. It's one of those stories where a lot of things are up for your interpretation.
Right now, I'm not sure if I loved this or not, but I didn't hate it and I'd say that if you liked Tender Is the Flesh, this is worth checking out.
First of all, I have to say: if someone sewed live cockroaches into my pillowcase so they get free while I'm sleeping, that would be the last thing they do.
-
I loved Tender Is the Flesh, so I was excited to see this is coming up in 2025 and was very happy to get the ARC. I don't know how to feel about it now that I've read it, though... I can confidently say it won't be for everyone but if it works, it works. It didn't work for me 100%, mainly because I'm not a fan of stream-of-consciousness writing, fragmented narratives, and extremely vague worldbuilding. Still, I couldn't stop reading.
This is set in a world ravaged by climate disaster, so it's post-apocalyptic. In this world, there's a convent that takes in stray women, and if they're not sick, they get to join the ranks and potentially rise through them. There's a hierarchy, and it's a truly awful, bleak place that thrives on torture and pain, but it's better than being out there. That's the setting.
We only have one POV and it's one of the "unworthy." We follow her daily life as she navigates the dynamics of the convent, which have changed all the women into cruel, unempathetic animals, and tries to recover memories of her life before the convent. One day, she finds a woman in the woods who changes everything when she's taken in.
Most of the book is confusing, uncomfortable to read, and just... strange. The last 20 to 30% was my favorite and the ending worked for me. As I said, it's very stream-of-consciousness and vague, but if you ride the wave, it's an interesting reading experience. The horror is quite gross, Bazterrica is very good at that, and there are themes below the surface, it's just a bit difficult to parse them out. It's one of those stories where a lot of things are up for your interpretation.
Right now, I'm not sure if I loved this or not, but I didn't hate it and I'd say that if you liked Tender Is the Flesh, this is worth checking out.