The Unworthy was released in 2025 and is a remarkable book by Agustina Bazterrica, which I recently discovered thanks to the buzz around her novel Tender is the Flesh. I haven’t read that one yet, but I plan to, because this book truly convinced me of her talent.
Here, we’re presented with a diary-format narrative written by an unnamed protagonist, an element I greatly appreciated because it adds to the dark, unsettling atmosphere the author constructs throughout the book.
We’re dealing with a post-apocalyptic setting focused on oppression and the inner worlds of the characters, within a truly nightmarish and claustrophobic environment: that of a monastery.
There, rigid hierarchies, religious fanaticism, and complete submission to the order’s leader dominate. Individuality is practically forbidden. To give you an idea, the protagonist’s diary is a secret, and she’s constantly trying to hide it, because if she’s caught, the punishment would be severe. Yet she keeps writing, it’s her form of resistance, of rebellion against the system.
Through this narrative device, Bazterrica manages to portray events with astonishing ease, subjectivity, which adds depth to the experience, and detail, delivering the story in a direct, visceral way that puts the reader right into the protagonist’s shoes. Combine that with abuse and overall grim conditions, and the main feeling that emerges is sheer terror, something the book achieves masterfully.
Just a small detail to help set the scene: the monastery is structured around different castes with names like the Silent Sisters, the Initiates, the Purified, and of course, the Unworthy. Each group has its own distinct characteristics.
At some point, the protagonist meets Lucia, whose very name is telling, since names in this world are rare and significant. Her presence signals a disturbance. And indeed, she doesn’t seem willing to conform to the society around her. A relationship develops between them, initially sparked by curiosity and fascination with the new and the different, but over time it becomes something more complex. Emotions arise, admiration, jealousy, hope for change, and fear interwoven into something deeply difficult to process.
The existential drama Bazterrica constructs is so meticulously crafted and, at least for me, so successful, that I honestly envied it. In under two hundred pages, she managed to deliver everything I needed from a story, and that’s not something I encounter often.
Achieving economy in literature isn’t easy. Finding the golden balance between what you want to say and how you say it is a rare skill. There wasn’t a single part of The Unworthy that felt unnecessary or overly wordy.
It’s an outstanding recommendation for anyone who enjoys this kind of read. And by “this kind,” I mean there’s nothing happy or light in here. It’s pitch-black and deeply depressing, but never in a forced way. It’s the kind of story that throws you into hell and says, “Right, let’s see what’s going on here,” and when it ends, you feel like you’ve learned a few things—and you’re grateful this isn’t your reality.
That’s all for now.
Until next time — be well, and keep reading.
It’s important!
Accompanying Notes:
https://vaaalsongs.bandcamp.com/album/unbound
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