Flesh
About the book
Author: David Szalay
Publisher: Scribner
More info:
The StoryGraph | Goodreads
Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the review.
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My review
Shortlisted for the Booker Prize (edit: now a winner!), Flesh is a fascinating experiment in the work happening more in what is not said than what is. I think some people will really enjoy it, but even those who don’t will certainly respect it.
The book follows a man named Istvan from adolescence through adulthood. The opening chapter is extremely strong and reads like a standalone story (which, Szalay says, it originally was). Frankly, Istvan is a bit of a wet blanket — all he really says is “okay” or “I don’t know” — but somehow by the end, we come to care about him deeply. It’s quite impressive, actually.
This book is about masculinity and sexuality but in a nuanced, introspective way that offers much to the reader. A deserving Booker win.
Content and trigger warnings
Statutory rape / teen grooming / adult-minor relationship
Child death, spousal death
Infidelity
Drug abuse
Sexual content
