Plot
This book opens with the protagonist, Istvan, as a shy and awkward adolescent living in a Hungarian housing project. The story follows his rise from poverty to married life amongst the European top one percent income earners, and his economic decent afterwards. His life takes many turns in between. He is a virginal teenager when a married 42-year-old woman is attracted to him. This then becomes a clandestine romantic tryst. He gets into a fight with her husband for which he is blamed for the husband's death, leading to juvenile detention and later, soldiering in Iraq. From these experiences he learns resilience when the chips are down. [1] [2] [3]
Later, Istvan works in private security and then becomes a chauffeur for a well-to-do family in London. Over time he becomes part of their life, including their moneyed lifestyle, clothes, private jets, and exclusive restaurants. He also has an affair with the young wife, during which the husband dies of natural causes, allowing the wife to remarry, but with Istvan. And due to the couple's behavior behavior, Istvan's new step-son despises Istvan. [1] [2] [3]
Plot twist
The twist in this plot is how the author presents Istvan as remaining unrefined and as having a hard time articulating himself. Istvan also retains dark impulses and usually feels like a detached observer of his own life. This is much like how survivors of traumatic experiences relate to their own life. At the same time, the author shows Istvan to be capable of introspection and sensitivity. [1] [2] [3]
In other words, Istvan usually acts on instinct first and thinks about it later. His body seems to understand things his mind doesn't. Also, people around him often know more about him and why he does things than he does himself. He tends to go with his gut feeling over thinking things through, and this shows in how he talks too. He mostly responds instead of starting conversations. [1] [2] [3] When he does talk, he usually just says things like “yeah,” “I don’t know,” and, above all, “okay.” [3]
Hence, as Heather White of Los Angeles Review of Books says, "Only [when Istvan's] body responds to others, or [when] he notices others responding to his body, do his thoughts begin to catch up. István’s perceptiveness grows over time." [3] So, underneath his tough exterior, Istvan actually has desires for meaning, connection, and belonging. In the world of this novel, he is more sensitive than he appears. [1] [2] [3]
Critical reception
The commentary by critics is positive.
The Associated Press says, "Szalay’s straightforward, spare prose helps propel the novel as the effects of that tragedy reverberate throughout his life ... The power of Flesh is Szalay’s ability to let these moments speak for themselves, letting these simple interactions tell a tragic story." [9]
The Boston Globe says, "A gentle yet deeply affecting novel about a taciturn man who overcomes abuse and loss early in life to stumble into transitory contentment — if not quite true happiness — as an adult... Fascinating and unexpected..." [10]
The New York Times says, ""Szalay’s cool, remote novel tells the rags-to-riches story of a lonely young man who grows up with his mother in a housing estate in Hungary. Among its primary subjects is male alienation: Even as the hero advances toward the redoubts of privilege, he feels like a bystander to his own life, with the detachment of a survivor. Yet Szalay lets us feel his inchoate longing for meaning and connection." [2]
On the Seawall says, "A shrewd novel that leverages the unsaid to speak volumes. [5] The Wall Street Journal says, "Mr. Szalay instills his characters with almost no inner life. The descriptions of each scene are ruthlessly pared back and the dialogue is almost comically minimalist... but the effect is hypnotic. [1]
The Sunday Times says that "... Szalay handles [the] surface and depth [of the novel's prose] with skill, as only great novelists can. Flesh is a revelatory novel that will make you look afresh at every eastern European doorman or bouncer you encounter. [6]
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