I’ve decided to do a few of these. Now if you think they will be deep and meaningful with an in-depth synopsis you are reading the wrong review.
I will try to take these another way – I want to go off the cuff, not look back at plot and technique but simply to tell you why these have stuck with me. I will give you as much info as I can about the book, but it will be at the best, a bit sketchy. Fuck, a few of these I’ve read over twenty years back! That’s the point!!
…It is why they have stuck with me that I want to explore. And if they tweak your interest – So be it.
I’ve always been curious about re-visiting these, but that may be opening me up to disappointment – So for only once in my life, I am open to the romance that is fond memories!
I would like to write about ‘Meat’ by Joseph D’Lacey.
It is quite superb in an horrific way!
It turns so many ideas on their heads and leaves you feeling a bit sullied.
This book explores the idea of people being bred to become food. They are called, ‘The Chosen’ and there is a bit of mystique and ‘honour’ (HAH!) about them.
The first main idea that is bombed out the water is that these folks have not got the intellect to communicate, when this is found not to be true, then that opens up another debate. If you can talk about your feelings and being a food source, does that make you more human than if you just quietly went to a slaughter house?
…And of course all the parallels regarding our meat food sources are there.
Before this, we have sections where the ‘Chosen’ are being used sexually – Now this part can be disturbing in a few ways. It doesn’t matter if you have realised that they are human or you think that they are animal, (The beginning of the books points to this) either way someone sexually abusing them is abhorrent. Weirdly, you don’t consider beastiality, more the sexual manipulation and abuse of those who have little capacity.
The main reason that I am writing this is due to the one explanation that has stuck with me. It is brilliant, disturbing, manipulative and really does give you that sort of mind-fuck that all good books do.
…For this to have taken place and for ‘The Chosen’ to even be called, ‘The Chosen’, the hierarchy had the bible re-written!
Now there is an idea that fucks with you.
So many idiots have followed the bible to the letter.
Sick fucks have used it as their excuse to kill and hate.
People preach it when they should execute their own thoughts.
And the biggest problem ever – Is so many believe.
So when I think about all of those and then consider it being re-written, then I do wonder where this would take us.
That whole idea is what makes this book stick with me.
This isn’t an easy read and it does make you question all-sorts from the church to the government. To the power that they have singularly and how they could manipulate when ever joined together – It is actually quite disturbing.
Weirdly since I have read this book, I have seen a few stories that have touched on this idea. Now I don’t mean that folks have read this and taken it from there! I just mean that this is one of those ideas that can naturally grow feet. And for me Joseph D’Lacey allowed me to read his initial idea which I found brilliant, perceptive, questioning, condoning and superbly disturbing.
literally stories 
Hugh
I’m unfamiliar with this work until now, and I will check it out.
This sounds like the ultimate disposable society, trained, controlled and seasoned to perfection! And yet some still insist on having a God.
Leila
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Thanks Leila,
It is worth a read.
It was the idea of the bible being changed so that folks would tow the line that really grabbed me.
(Should that be ‘toe’? Hmm, ‘toe’ could come from moving toward the line and ‘tow’ could mean pulling the same way??)
Hugh
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The short story “*lr*d” looks at a contemporary religion to Judaism. Unlike the Abrahamic religions it was peaceful. Because of climate change two thousand years ago, the religion died, but achaeologists found proof of its existence from old writings.
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Hi Doug,
There was a movement in this country at one time that wanted the teaching of history to be taken off the curriculum.
Personally, I thought that was a very dangerous thing to do. We can learn from the past and we do need, even, a very thin overview of what has happened to get us to where we are.
I also think that they have stopped teaching long division in our schools.
I have a quick story about that – I volunteered to help adults with literacy and numeracy for around twelve years. I had one young fellow (Just turned nineteen) who came to me and asked if I would show him how to do long division. Naturally I asked, what he was wanting to do this for and he hit me with the best answer ever, he said, ‘Because I can’t!’
Hope all is well with you and yours my fine friend.
Hugh
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An interesting review and teaser for what sounds like a book that’s challenging in many ways. “Superbly disturbing” seems to be an apt description.
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Hi Dave,
Unfortunately, ‘Superbly disturbing’ can be the answer to many an aspect of my life!!!
Joking aside, it is a cracking book. Probably the number one of all the books that have stayed with me!!
All the very best my fine friend.
Hugh
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It strikes me that it’s a very good idea to take for your theme ‘why a book has stuck in your memory’ – better than ‘why the reader should read it too.’ But I was also struck by the oddness of cannibalism as a topic. I can see why it would be popular with horror writers and horror film directors (Hannibal Lector, etc.). But 30/40/50 years ago it was also a standard topic (at least in the UK) for cartoonists. Standing in the cooking pot would be a pith-helmeted explorer or a dog-collared missionary, and a couple of grass-skirted natives would be standing by with big wooden spoons (typical punchline, second native to first native: ‘The chief says to tell you that he’s giving up missionaries for Lent’ etc etc). Why would cannibalism be funny? Or are horror and comedy intimately related??
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Hi Mick,
I do think horror and comedy are related.
Also us being Scottish people really do have the darkest of humour in us. When a workmate had suffered a stroke and was back at his work, the gaffer, every-time he passed him shouted out for all to hear ‘DNR!!!!’
Now that is one example. I have dozens more and you probably have too.
Folks think that we are sick, but it’s our nationalities coping mechanism. Well that, whisky and my all-time favourite – Sarcasm! I can’t help myself!!
And you probably have heard my favourite cannibal joke:
What did the cannibal do after he dumped his girlfriend?
He wiped his arse!
I think you may enjoy the book as it does look at re-writing history which is a very interesting topic!
Talking about historical books (Which is obvious that you have a fondness for) I wonder if you have ever read ‘The Grey Man’ by S.R (I think) Crockett, it was written well over a hundred years ago and deals with the feud between the Kennedys and the other Kennedys around the Cassillis (Maybole / Culzean area) It is a cracking book and it also intertwines the legend of Sawney Bean.
I think you probably will have read it but if you haven’t, I think you would enjoy.
Hope all is well with you and yours.
Hugh
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Thanks Hugh. Yes, you suggested ‘The Grey Man’ before (when I had a story in LS set in Culzean). Agreed, Crockett was a fine writer. Agreed, too about the darkness of Scottish humour (witness the furore over the Billy Connolly bicycle joke). And a million words is one helluva achievement.
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I’ve not heard of this one, but will definitely look it up. I do like a disturbing read, so this could be right up my boulevard! Thank you.
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Hi Paul,
Thanks as always.
You’ve now got me thinking on what books have disturbed me. ‘Meat’ was one.
‘The Exorcist’ is up there. After reading that I reckon the film was like a cartoon!! Thankfully I read the book first.
But one that did stay with me was another possession story and that was ‘The Devil Rocked Her Cradle’ by David St. Claire. (mid 1980’s I think??)
The premise is quite simple, the devil had to get her father to release her so he started on the grandfather to get to the father to get to the daughter.
There is so much in that book from the foreword on that makes it interesting.
Stay happy and healthy my fine friend. It’s always a pleasure to see you around the site.
Hugh
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I’ve not read either of those, but definitely should. I’m not sure which books have fully shocked me, but contenders are Last Exit to Brooklyn, The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test, and more recently Day of the Oprichnik by Vladimir Sorokin.
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