First published in 2023

177 pages

Dystopian, LGBTQ+, Literary

"The Unworthy" is written by the same author who wrote "Tender is the Flesh" which is also on my ever-growing list of books to read.​ This novel is set in a distant, dystopian future, when the outside world is poisoned and dangerous. We begin in a convent, The House of The Sacred Sisterhood, where there is a rigid hierarchy. The main character is one of the Unworthy, an acolyte who desires ascension to the role of Enlightened. Risking her life, the main character writes in a secret diary, even using her own blood as ink. Old memories begin to surface from before the world collapsed. But one day, a newcomer arrives, who becomes one of the unworthy. But she is different somehow, she brings with her a hope that lightens the burden of the Sacred Sisterhood.

This book is beautiful. The poetic language leads you through this dystopian forest of a narrative. Life is harsh and scary, but our main character finds her way of rebelling. She is shockingly honest with her desires, desires that have been repressed and must be kept secret. This convent is steeped in a mass hysteria and I questioned the sanity of them all. I love a disturbing story with heavy handed religious themes. Bazterrica takes an idea and pushes it to the absolute limit, twisting and turning and molding, until she gets something completely unique and spellbinding. Simultaneously, her use of poetic language manipulates the delivery of the narrative. She is able to spin something harsh into a new form, forcing the reader to look at it from a new angle. It was the kind of book that you finish and stare at the wall for hours, processing what you just experienced. Absolutely wonderful.