What did I miss in David Szalay’s Booker Prize winning novel, Flesh?

I was engaged – the story moved along at a good pace with enough happening to keep me interested. The writing was fine – consistent, accessible, and well-developed characters.

And yet… there was nothing about this book that blew me away. Is it unreasonable to expect something of the ‘breathtaking’ variety when we’re talking Booker Prize winners? Or, if not breathtaking, then something that is arresting, dividing readers into one-star or five-star reviews? (I like books that illicit strong opinions either way.) Continue reading →