Staff Pick: Flesh by David Szalay

Flesh is an unflinching (and often unflattering) look at the life of a young man. István is an unusual protagonist in that his thoughts and feelings often seem to be hidden—even from himself. His capacity to understand himself and the world around him is extremely limited. However, this is not due to lack of intelligence but (the book seems to suggest) something more fundamental. Another character refers to István as representing “a primitive form of masculinity” and the novel seems to bear that out but suggests that there are positive and negative aspects to that form. 

Those looking for a lift after the hard winter months should probably wait before picking up a copy of Flesh as it not a barrel of laughs. It is, however, an absorbing novel written in a spare, unobtrusive style about loneliness, disappointment and suffering and what they can do to a person.

Borrow the book today from your local library. Also available as an ebook or audiobook.

Submitted by Peadar.