Flesh

A Novel

De: David Szalay

Narrado por: Daniel Weyman

WINNER OF THE 2025 BOOKER PRIZE AND A NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Finalist for the Kirkus Prize | Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence

From “the shrewdest writer on contemporary masculinity we have” (Esquire), a “captivating...hypnotic...virtuosic” (The Baffler) novel about a man whose life veers off course due to a series of unforeseen circumstances.

Teenaged István lives with his mother in a quiet apartment complex in Hungary. Shy and new in town, he is a stranger to the social rituals practiced by his classmates and is soon isolated, drawn instead into a series of events that leave him forever a stranger to peers, his mother, and himself. In the years that follow, István is born along by the goodwill, or self-interest, of strangers, charting a rocky yet upward trajectory that lands him further from his childhood, and the defining events that abruptly ended it, than he could possibly have imagined.

A collection of intimate moments over the course of decades, Flesh chronicles a man at odds with himself—estranged from and by the circumstances and demands of a life not entirely under his control and the roles that he is asked to play. Shadowed by the specter of past tragedy and the apathy of modernity, the tension between István and all that alienates him hurtles forward until sudden tragedy again throws life as he knows it in jeopardy.

“Spare and detached on the page, lush in resonance beyond it” (NPR), Flesh traces the imperceptible but indelible contours of unresolved trauma and its aftermath amid the precarity and violence of an ever-globalizing Europe with incisive insight, unyielding pathos, and startling humanity.

Conflicted Intrigue

Hmmm… A dozen great take-offs, with zero smooth landings. I’m probably just too unsophisticated to appreciate the true art and inner meaning…

Meh

Heard great things…but not fulfilling. Only read because of the booker prize. I’ll try another book by the author.

Engrossing and interesting style

The story progresses at a tight pace with an uncanny manner of style. The main character is both familiar and curious at the same time while all the forces around him seem to shape his decision making. I loved the way the conversations had a plain and believable style. I really enjoyed Istvan’s life from its humble beginnings to its believable conclusion. A great read and a well deserved prize.

How Cold?

Istvan, the main character in “Flesh,” is neither good nor likeable. Yet he’s a compelling character, and I was totally absorbed in his unpredictable life. He does plenty of bad things, and he sometimes seems to have ice in his heart, but he also has the capacity to work hard, to sacrifice and to love. The novel has things to say about family, ambition (or its absence) and money. It’s all low key and indirect. Like Istvan, the other characters are not especially sympathetic, but they are understandable and well drawn.

The narrator is excellent. He can convey a range of emotions when Istvan offers one-word answers like “Yeah” and “”Okay” and “Dunno.” He handles dialogue very well. This book is a great listen.

Bleak and depressing

A hard book to listen to, but there’s no way I would have read this one. I’d have given up after the first 10 “ok’s” Would definitely recommend audiobook over reading yourself. You’ll thank me later 🤭