I have been trying to figure out what Flesh is about, for the past few days. Ive been trying to figure out why the cover, an image of an apple eaten down to the core, makes perfect sense somehow, despite the fact that i dont think apples are mentioned even once in the novel. I think i might have found the words. Flesh is about the hollow spaces left behind when significant people leave you.
The novel is told in devastatingly spare prose, and has significant time skips. It describes a few key relationships István, the main character, has throughout his life- relationships that all end, eventually.
István can be frustratingly stoic. He rarely explains his feelings to others, let alone himself. He says "okay" and "i dont know" a lot. Its most of what he says, actually.
Theres a saying of sorts: you can never really know another person. Perhaps there ought to be a corollary: it is possible to go through life never really knowing yourself. Perhaps its more normal than we'd like to think, that your own motivations and emotions are as inscrutable to you as they might be to a stranger, or a lover.
I really liked this book. I found it impossible to put down, though now that i try to explain why I loved it, I cant help but quote István. I dont know. Its good.
