<\/p>\n
In a post-apocalyptic world, amid the chaos of a climate catastrophe, lies a mysterious convent called the Sacred Sisterhood, where women are deemed \u201cunworthy\u201d unless they are chosen to climb the ranks as an Enlightened. Narrated through stolen scraps of paper and discarded ink, our narrator, an Unworthy herself, reveals the horrors that she has witnessed inside the Sisterhood and questions what truly happens to an Enlightened woman. The intriguing premise of Agustina Bazterrica\u2019s \u201cThe Unworthy\u201d is sure to draw in lovers of dystopian or cultish novels, or even fans of Bazterrica\u2019s first translated work, \u201cTender Is the Flesh<\/a>.\u201d These readers, however, are sure to be led astray.<\/p>\n As someone who was let down by \u201cTender Is the Flesh,\u201d despite having heard endless praise, I shouldn\u2019t have been surprised by my lack of interest in reading \u201cThe Unworthy.\u201d But I was drawn in by the premise, the plot of which had sounded much more promising than her first work, a mistake that set my expectations far too high once again. Unfortunately, I was proven wrong, and I can now confidently say that I will avoid picking up future translations of Bazterrica\u2019s writing.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Unworthy\u201d is composed of various secret journal entries, hence why it immediately jumps into the events at the convent, offering no context or background information. The structure of the story purposely leaves readers in the dark, as the nameless narrator herself is unknowledgeable of the goings-on at the Sisterhood. However, the lack of information and detail does the opposite of its intended purpose. Instead of leaving readers desperate for more, the lack of plot details left me bored and uninterested at every turn. There was not nearly enough intrigue to keep readers hooked for the entirety of the, frankly, already short novel.\u00a0<\/p>\n It seems that Bazterrica exchanged much needed context for many casual accounts of cruelty. Similar to what we see in \u201cTender Is the Flesh,\u201d the majority of the novel is filled with descriptions of gruesome acts committed by the characters. The unworthy ones within the Sisterhood are frequently forced by the Superior Sister to \u201ctest their faith\u201d by sacrificing their weakest member to endure horrific punishments and torture. By just reading the synopsis of the novel or even the first line \u2014 \u201cSomeone is screaming in the dark. I hope it\u2019s Lourdes\u201d \u2014 you know that you\u2019re signing up for some brutality. But there were points where the inclusion of these gory depictions provided no development for the plot or characters, lending itself to a monotonous storyline. <\/p>\n