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I remember once in school analysing a renowned painting in one of London’s galleries (the Tate), and the question was asked of the lecturer why the nudity; graphic explicit nudity, portrayed in the painting, was acceptable when discussion or glorification of porn magazines generally is not.
That’s sort of how I feel about David Szalay’s writing. There is full on sex described on a high proportion of pages, and it’s the sort of (mostly male) sex that would appeal, I think, to occasional, and non “literary�� readers��. If you were writing a novel about hedonism and a summer spent in Ibiza, then many of Szalay’s descriptions would fit in seamlessly.

But Szalay’s writing style is clever, and laden with suspense. Human insight builds gradually in small increments and arguably represent the reality of many people’s lives which are not necessarily marked by a planned, or coherent life path, or of studied ambition. Structurally, the way in which Szalay’s stories are presented (across his work) are always stimulating, and different. Szalay has a style that’s unique to him, and the perennial discussion about whether he is writing a series of short stories ”linked�� or a long form novel, does, I think, miss the subtlety of the way he presents his themes. Flesh is just a more obvious single entity because of the presence of the central character, Istvan, throughout the book, but I’m in the camp that believes all his work (for example All that Man Is is a cohesive whole.

Szalay writes a lot of dialogue in Flesh. It’s all in the form of questions put to Istvan. Istvan is rarely the initiator of conversations and his non-committal, and monosyllabic, responses are actually quite frustrating! They are necessary and appropriate for the reader to understand his (often random) life journey. Szalay’s stock in trade is male dysfunction, and awkwardness, and there’s plenty of this on display. Its said of Istvan, by a lover, that he totally ‘non-judgemental��. That’s true, and it’s the reason that he is, perversely, a character the reader comes to respect, despite his propensity to drift through life. At his core he is demonstrably not a selfish person, and that’s rare.

Although my prevailing response to the book centres on the sexual elements, and the sense of conversational inadequacy, there is a powerful central message concerning the displacement that is consequent to life’s unexpected turns. It’s tempting to think that this is a rather sad and depressing view of man’s time on earth, and it’s a salutary tale to all of us that everything can change suddenly and dramatically.

Overall I enjoyed this reading experience very much and after reading five Szalay novels I will eagerly pick up his next publication, whenever that might be.

In conversation with journalist Rachel Cooke. Foyles London 05.03.2025

�� The road to publication of flesh was drawn out and not straightforward. DS had written and then abandoned a novel, comprising 100,000 words, and had structural problems. Not all was wasted and chapter one in Flesh survived the cut.
�� DS set out to feature a character who is inarticulate: presents challenges in the written form, and when answering questions at a book launch!
�� Similarly restricting in interviews is the fact that the point of the book is not to describe the vents, or the backdrop, in any great detail
�� DS is drawn to writing about the cyclical nature of life. Doesn’t think its realistic to tell stories with a strong sense of purpose.
�� Mother is the only (other) character with a presence throughout the book. This humanises Istvan.
�� Each chapter is self contained. Has the virtue of enabling the reader to put down for a few days and pick up again seamlessly.
�� DS concerned that using words to describe the story are often reductive and take away from the true meaning
�� There are no acknowledgements in the book. This was knowing and deliberate, and designed to make the books end the more finite.
�� The interviewer (who loved the book) asked, tongue-in-cheek ‘do all men think in the ways as depicted in the book?�� It was an observation rather than a question (unfortunately) because it raises an interesting point about Szalay’s writing. Its highly sexual writing; it could be construed as being misogynistic. Is the protagonist’s thought process disrespectful? I think this opens up the essence of Szalay’s masculine writing style. His male leads (and Istvan is a great example) are the opposite of predatory. It’s women who initiate contact, and Istvan is meticulous in asking and confirming permission for any act of intimacy.