Roxane’s review of Flesh > Likes and Comments
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That was my feeling as well. Big life events were 2 sentences and then the most mundane thing was pages and pages
Yes…I don’t understand how this book won the Booker Prize…every other book on the short list (and several on the long list) would have been a better choice.
Also left scratching my head. One suggestion was the abuse he suffered as a teenager scarred him to the extent he was incapable of feeling/showing emotion. Maybe?
I felt the same way! I thought I was missing something but it did nothing for me
Maybe I won’t read it after all. Lots of the shortlisted novels for the Booker are great!
Been thinking about reading this, maybe I’ll save my time. Flat characters are not for me
I felt the same way. It was one-note the whole novel and Istvan remained a person who just let life happen to him throughout without changing at all. I saw some discussions how it is really about the affects of trauma on your life, but we see him with the same attitude/personality in the beginning of the book before his traumatic experiences, so that doesn't ring true for me. And I found the dialogue to be excruciating.
I’m so glad i read these comments! I’m about halfway into the book and I was wondering what I was missing. I’ll definitely finish it but I’m glad it’s not just me.
Roxanne, I'm really sorry but you've totally lost the plot. Go back to the start and you'll observe that Istvan is almost certainly autistic/neurodivergent and that his introduction to sex/intimacy is characteristic of many in that community who are more vulnerable. This pattern continues through his life, as he is treated as flesh for others -- a soldier, a doorman, a driver, a lover. And the fact of his obvious neurodivergence does leave us with the conflict that the way we WANT to empathise with the emotions we wish he was showing (through the narration) isn't really "for us" at all because he is different, in a world that hasn't made space to appreciate that difference but instead to abuse it. Honestly flabbergasted at how many of the reviews are just asking for this person, who is like so many real people, to be more interesting and relatable to them. Please reconsider as I think you'll really benefit from seeing the novel in this light.
But we never know much about Istvan???
The book literally starts from his teenage years (even shows his abuse) until old age.
What else is to know??? Did we read the same book? This review is glib in a targeted way 🫠
I feel seen with this review 😂. It leaves the reader to fill in just about everything. At times I appreciated his style, but IDK lol.
Fair review but, yes, that is the point. The character feels just, well, flat.
My girlfriend just finished reading Flesh and this review was pretty much her opinion verbatim.
I think we are all kindred spirits. Any of your reviews could have been written by me. The characters and dialog were so flat. P probably intentional, but I didn’t understand the purpose. The next time I hear somebody answer questions with “why” or “I don’t know,” I’m going to scream. The good news is I could blast through this book pretty quickly because most pages were filled with one or two word dialogues. And what is with all tvs cigarettes? How did that add anything? Don’t understand what it was that caused this book to be awarded the Booker prize.
I’m feeling the same and I’ve just started…
Sam. A very patronising comment. Your take is only your take. Everyone isn’t autistic (ive known many men like him) and even if they are, it doesnt mean we have to enjoy every story we read where they figure
I thought it was the whole point. Someone who just goes along with life without taking ownership of it.
100% agree, except you were more generous with the stars. You voice my exact objections to the book. I'd add that the dialogue is equally flat, and in what universe would this person be so irresistable to women?
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Tessy
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Jan 03, 2026 05:38PM
That was my feeling as well. Big life events were 2 sentences and then the most mundane thing was pages and pages
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Yes…I don’t understand how this book won the Booker Prize…every other book on the short list (and several on the long list) would have been a better choice.
Also left scratching my head. One suggestion was the abuse he suffered as a teenager scarred him to the extent he was incapable of feeling/showing emotion. Maybe?
I felt the same way! I thought I was missing something but it did nothing for me
Maybe I won’t read it after all. Lots of the shortlisted novels for the Booker are great!
Been thinking about reading this, maybe I’ll save my time. Flat characters are not for me
I felt the same way. It was one-note the whole novel and Istvan remained a person who just let life happen to him throughout without changing at all. I saw some discussions how it is really about the affects of trauma on your life, but we see him with the same attitude/personality in the beginning of the book before his traumatic experiences, so that doesn't ring true for me. And I found the dialogue to be excruciating.
I’m so glad i read these comments! I’m about halfway into the book and I was wondering what I was missing. I’ll definitely finish it but I’m glad it’s not just me.
Roxanne, I'm really sorry but you've totally lost the plot. Go back to the start and you'll observe that Istvan is almost certainly autistic/neurodivergent and that his introduction to sex/intimacy is characteristic of many in that community who are more vulnerable. This pattern continues through his life, as he is treated as flesh for others -- a soldier, a doorman, a driver, a lover. And the fact of his obvious neurodivergence does leave us with the conflict that the way we WANT to empathise with the emotions we wish he was showing (through the narration) isn't really "for us" at all because he is different, in a world that hasn't made space to appreciate that difference but instead to abuse it. Honestly flabbergasted at how many of the reviews are just asking for this person, who is like so many real people, to be more interesting and relatable to them. Please reconsider as I think you'll really benefit from seeing the novel in this light.
But we never know much about Istvan??? The book literally starts from his teenage years (even shows his abuse) until old age.
What else is to know??? Did we read the same book? This review is glib in a targeted way 🫠
I feel seen with this review 😂. It leaves the reader to fill in just about everything. At times I appreciated his style, but IDK lol.
Fair review but, yes, that is the point. The character feels just, well, flat.
My girlfriend just finished reading Flesh and this review was pretty much her opinion verbatim.
I think we are all kindred spirits. Any of your reviews could have been written by me. The characters and dialog were so flat. P probably intentional, but I didn’t understand the purpose. The next time I hear somebody answer questions with “why” or “I don’t know,” I’m going to scream. The good news is I could blast through this book pretty quickly because most pages were filled with one or two word dialogues. And what is with all tvs cigarettes? How did that add anything? Don’t understand what it was that caused this book to be awarded the Booker prize.
I’m feeling the same and I’ve just started…
Sam. A very patronising comment. Your take is only your take. Everyone isn’t autistic (ive known many men like him) and even if they are, it doesnt mean we have to enjoy every story we read where they figure
I thought it was the whole point. Someone who just goes along with life without taking ownership of it.
100% agree, except you were more generous with the stars. You voice my exact objections to the book. I'd add that the dialogue is equally flat, and in what universe would this person be so irresistable to women?
