David Szalay’s Booker Prize-winning novel ‘La carne’ explores social mobility

The novel ‘La carne’ (The Flesh) by Hungarian-British author David Szalay, winner of the 2025 Booker Prize, explores themes of male alienation and social mobility. The narrative follows István, a shy young man from a marginalized neighborhood in Hungary.

As István matures, his life takes various paths, including time in a youth detention center and service alongside Norwegian soldiers in Iraq. Eventually, he moves to London, where he works as a driver for a wealthy family, effectively infiltrating the upper classes and experiencing a life of luxury and high-end fashion.