Safe Return Doubtful

translated from the French by Daria Chernysheva

After the splendid Of Cattle and Men comes this, a similarly themed fable for the ethical carnivore, but this time with a much lighter dose of horror.

When her mother dies, 36 year old vegetarian, Paule, returns to her childhood rural home from the city to deal with the chicken farm. Her initial thoughts of selling up are put on hold when she discovers that the work she feared so much, is actually quite enjoyable. She gives the chickens loving attention, names them, lets them roam the house, and with reverence, then dispatches them. She then writes a few sentences as an obituary which she attaches to the vacuum packed produce that heads to the shops. Her caring approach is loved by customers.

This is a quirky and fun short read that deals with some more serious topics, those of relationships, grief, and amidst it all, violence.
It makes an excellent soul mate to Ana Paula Maia’s aforementioned, Of Cattle and Men, https://goodreads.com/book/show/63903384.Of_Cattle_and_Men, as the latter is far darker.

My GoodReads score 3 / 5