Flesh

David Szalay’s Flesh, a Booker-shortlisted novel, traces the haunting journey of István, a shy fifteen-year-old in Hungary whose isolation leads to a secret relationship with his older, married neighbor, setting him on a path of turmoil and transformation. As he grows, István is swept along by the forces of modern wealth and power, rising from the army to the rarefied circles of London’s elite, driven by conflicting desires for love, intimacy, status, and fortune. Spare yet hypnotic, the novel explores how these impulses both elevate and unravel him, posing profound questions about what makes a life meaningful and what ultimately breaks it.