Read the 2025 Booker short listed novel, 'Flesh' by David Szalay.
It was... okay.
Well, it was much more than okay. You'll get the joke on 'okay' when you read the book.
The main character in 'Flesh' is, István, a taciturn youth whom we first meet at the age of fifteen. Initially he finds that he's unable to attract the opposite sex due to his taciturn nature. But we the readers soon find out that a sort of "primitive form of masculinity" that he has, attracts women, especially experienced ones, several of whom he has intimate relations with for the rest of his life. Upon completion of the book, I skimmed through several reviews and The Guardian's review says that István is a "Camus’ Meursault meets Forrest Gump" kind of character with an existential wayfarer about him.
The novel, by nature is sketchy with fewer dialogues where the parties explain their emotions in details. A fine portrayal of this is when István cannot help himself from crying upon seeing Labrador pups ( he intended to buy one for his son, Jacob, at one point) , and we the readers are left to figure it our selves, through the action of the crowds all looking at him. István himself doesn't realise that he's crying till sometime. The mere fact of crowds looking at him suggest that István just didn't have a few tears falling from his eyes, but rather, outright loud crying or howling which makes people turn around to look. István is however never cruel. He is given a chance to salvage himself from a precarious situation in life, but he opts to save someone at subsequent high personal damage to him. This, even after his mother suggests that the death of the person whom he saves, is the one fact that can give him a chance in life.
The skill of the author, is maintaining the minimalist narration, which synchronizes perfectly with the lead character István's journey in life. His travails, his successes, and then his subsequent losses are accepted with a placidity which the modern world finds difficult to align to a man of sensitivity. True, there are certain personal losses he cannot come to terms with - but then those are of the most painful type, and is certain to make an impact unless one has an issue with his or her mental faculties.
It is the subsequent mulling over of the nature of the novel, and the skills that the author has put to good use, upon its completion (in contrast to midway of reading, comparatively), which makes one realise that the books has ingredients of a subtle masterpiece as the novel ages.
Rating: ****
Reading of Booker 2025 Short-listed novels - 2
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