This was a wild, and stomach-turning ride. The last twist really blind-sided me, not necessarily in a good, or earned, way. What interested me most was Bazterrica’s exploration of how language and euphemism anesthetize us to the horror of the world around us. Ironically, the gruesome detail and shock factor baked into the world building had a similarly anesthetic effect — I was never more upset/uncomfortable than in the first 2-3 chapters because I just got used to it. Slavery, Holocaust, Colonialism, elderly abuse, animal abuse via Cannibal conceit.