Episode 17 - Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (with special guest Tariq Ashkanani)

The Binge Reading Bookclub

The Binge Reading Bookclub
Episode 17 - Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (with special guest Tariq Ashkanani)
May 29, 2026 Season 2 Episode 5

In our most heated episode yet, that many are calling 'truly a podcast that has appeared online', best selling author Nicholas Binge (Extremity, Ascension, Professor Everywhere) and Hugo Powell (Lord of the Rings, Lord of the Flies, Lord of War) invite the best selling crime author Tariq Ashkanani to tell them about one of his favourite novels Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica.

Tender is the Flesh follows the story of Marcos, a disgruntled slaughter house manager as he grapples with the loss of his child, the break down of his marriage, and his fathers slow descent into dementia. Oh, did I mention the slaughter house is for humans as in this world animal meat has become toxic to humans so instead of going vegan every just starts eating humans? I didn't mention that? Oh well there you go.

While the brutality of this novel may be a deterrent to many, Tariq and Nicholas breakdown the depth that can actually be found behind the incessant violence of this terrifying world. They talk about this novel being a reflection of mankind's ability to cause great harm to one another once a population is dehumanized, the mental gymnastics required to consume meat and not face the realities of the meat industry, and how 'internal world building' can such a vital tool in the arsenal of any author.

Join us again on the 11 June for our mini episodes known as Speed Binges, where we will be watching the entirety of Don't Hug me I am Scared 

And you will find the next mainline show on the 25 June, where we will be reading I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman and joined by guest author Richard Swan. 


LINKS:

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Episode Artwork Episode 17 - Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (with special guest Tariq Ashkanani) 1:01:48 Episode Artwork Speed Binges: Palm Mall Mars by 猫 シ Corp. 30:24 Episode Artwork Epsiode 16: Star of the Sea by Joseph o'Connor (With best selling author Shauna Lawless) 1:04:59 Episode Artwork Speed Binges - 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke (With Crystal Riley) 34:57 Episode Artwork Episode 15 - The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow (With Special Guest L.R. Lam) 1:03:28 Episode Artwork Speed Binges - The Chair Company 24:32 Episode Artwork Episode 14 - Excession by Iain M Banks (with guest author David Goodman) 1:02:23 Episode Artwork Speed Binges - Extremity by Nicholas Binge 32:35 Episode Artwork Episode 13 - The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (or Writing Psychological Realism) 53:02 Episode Artwork Episode 12 - The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (or a Plot Twist? How About a Narrative Twist?) 1:04:08 Episode Artwork Episode 11 - Behind Frenemy Lines by Zen Cho (or how to write conflict without killing anyone) 54:43 Episode Artwork Episode 10 - Xenos by Dan Abnett (or How does one blend genres?) 58:17 Episode Artwork Episode 9 - Homefire by Kamila Shamsie (or a nice change of perspective) 49:57 Episode Artwork Episode 8 - Leech by Hiron Ennes with guest Sunyi Dean 58:40 Episode Artwork Episode 7 - Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel (or Epistoral Structure, the emphasis on the 56:14 Episode Artwork Episode 6 - A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (or the Importance of Voice and Narrative Tone) 56:30 Episode Artwork Episode 5 - Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin (or A Weekend in the Countryside by Samanta Schweblin) 1:03:28 Episode Artwork Episode 4 - Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (or Laini's Superpower is Writing Prose) 1:01:01 Episode Artwork Episode 3 - Planetfall by Emma Newman (or An Unreliable Narrator, or Were They?) 59:27 Episode Artwork Episode 2 - We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker (or How to Write Wide Characters) 59:54 Episode Artwork Episode 1 - What is the point of this podcast? 30:34