Greetings to readers who closely follow the sharpest observers of contemporary literature!
Today we turn our attention to the highly anticipated new novel by David Szalay, renowned for his mastery in X-raying modern life and human relationships. Published by Jonathan Cape in March 2025 and quickly making it onto the “Must-Read” lists of respected publications such as The Guardian, The Observer, and the Financial Times, Flesh invites us into a profound meditation on one man’s rise and the destruction that rise brings in its wake.
The Anatomy of Fate, Chance, and Choices
This gripping 368-page novel takes us from a modest apartment block in Hungary all the way to the uppermost echelons of London society. Szalay places at the centre those invisible forces that shape our lives—chance, fate, and the sometimes tiny, sometimes monumental choices we make—while drawing an extraordinarily compelling character portrait.
Who stands at the heart of the story?
A Shy Beginning
Fifteen-year-old István lives a quiet life with his mother in Hungary. Socially awkward at school, shy, and isolated, his only close companion is a married neighbour who is the same age as his mother.
A Life Spinning Out of Control
When this seemingly innocent friendship turns into a secret and forbidden relationship, István’s life veers off its axis and enters an irreversible trajectory.
The Journey to the Top
Years later we encounter István under a completely different identity. Having started in the army, he has risen into the super-rich elite circles of London, a man trying to navigate his way through the enormous waves of money and power that define the 21st century…
A Man in the Shadow of Wealth
István finds himself trapped between the emotions left over from his old life and the new wealth he has acquired. The relentless conflict between love, intimacy, status, and fortune pushes him to the very edge of self-destruction. With Flesh, Szalay delivers—in shattering prose—the message that money can buy almost everything, but it cannot repair everything.
Why You Should Read It
“David Szalay is one of the rare writers who succeeds in fusing the money and power dynamics of the 21st century with the most intimate tremors inside an individual’s soul.”
- Psychological Depth: The spiritual transformation István undergoes—from adolescence to adulthood, from poverty to extreme wealth—is rendered in richly layered detail.
- Sociological Observation: The novel offers powerful insights into class transitions in modern society and the corrosive effect of wealth on human character.
- A Critics’ Favourite: Being selected by the world’s most prestigious newspapers as one of the best summer reads of 2025 is a clear seal of approval on the book’s literary quality.
If you are curious about the dark and bright sides of human nature, the struggle to survive in the modern world, and how a success story can actually turn into a tragedy, Flesh absolutely belongs on your bookshelf.
Wishing you joyful and thought-provoking reading in advance!
