Reviews round-up
Flesh
by David Szalay
5 of 6 critics positive
6 reviews: 2 raves, 3 positives, 1 mixed
What the critics said
Rave
Read the review ↗“brilliantly spare portrait of a man”
Flesh by David Szalay review – brilliantly spare portrait of a man
Rave
Read the review ↗“confirms Szalay as the finest stylist in British fiction”
Why David Szalay’s Flesh won the Booker prize
Positive
Read the review ↗“a deeply affecting novel about masculinity”
David Szalay’s Flesh wins the Booker prize – a deeply affecting novel about masculinity
Positive
Read the review ↗“The Alienated, Irresistible Man in a Novel Stripped to the Bones”
The Alienated, Irresistible Man in a Novel Stripped to the Bones (Published 2025)
Mixed
Read the review ↗“the blokiest winner of the Booker prize”
David Szalay’s Flesh — the blokiest winner of the Booker prize
Verdicts are read from each outlet's own headline and summary; quotes are their words, credited and linked. Where a paywalled summary does not give the critic's view, we say so rather than guess. How it works.
