David Szalay introduces his propulsive and hypnotic novel about a man who is unravelled by a series of events beyond his grasp. Flesh follows István, a shy 15-year-old who soon becomes isolated at school and whose only companion is his married neighbour, a woman close to his mother’s age. Their clandestine relationship causes István’s life to spiral out of control. As he grows and moves from Hungary to London, entering the world of the super-rich, competing impulses for love, wealth and more threaten to undo him completely.
Szalay is the author of five previous works of fiction including All That Man Is, for which he was awarded the Gordon Burn Prize and Plimpton Prize for Fiction, and shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He talks to award-winning author and broadcaster Naomi Alderman.
