At the start of the year, I set myself a challenge to read all the books shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize. As a lifelong crime, thriller and mystery reader, I wanted to branch out and see if any of the shortlisted books lived up to the hype. Of course, the first shortlisted title I picked up was the winner, Flesh by David Szalay.
This is, without a doubt, one of the most fascinating books I've read in a long time. The prose is lean and economical. There's no extra 'flesh' on the bone here, so to speak - Szalay writes only what is necessary. I've never read anything quite like it.
Described as a "master of realism", Szalay tells the tale of 15-year-old István, who lives with his mother in a Hungarian apartment complex. He's shy, socially awkward and lonely. His only companion is his older neighbour – a woman close to his mother's age. When they embark on an illicit affair, his life soon unravels.
Each chapter of the book jumps ahead several years and covers a different period in István's life. We see István join the army, work as a bouncer at a dodgy strip club, navigate another clandestine affair, this time with his employer (he sure is popular with the ladies) and gradually work his way up through the social classes to become a powerful, rich property developer in London.
I found István to be an interesting character. He doesn't say much – his favourite words are 'yeah' or 'no' or 'okay'. Sometimes he repeats the same word or phrase. The language is natural and realistic, but it can be confronting when seen on the written page. At first, I mistook Istvan's grunts for a lack of intelligence and agency – he seemed to be propelled through life by a series of circumstances.
But by the end of the book, it's clear that Istvan's emotional distance with the key people in his life is a direct outcome of his early experiences, and this shapes the course of his life. What makes the novel so effective is that Szalay never overexplains István; the emotional detachment is left for the reader to interpret.
Overall, Flesh is an excellent read. Szalay's writing is so spare and controlled that it was hard to put down. Compulsive, unsettling and memorable.