Suzanne Perez

The novel follows István to London, to war, and into the upper echelons of British society.

But the author omits many important events from the narrative and instead chooses to hint at them after the fact.

István's personality doesn't change much through the course of the novel, but the overall theme seems to be that he is a passive participant in whatever comes his way.

The lack of human connection becomes frustrating and almost painful to read.

Flesh is a dark and disturbing novel, but one that's hard to put down.

In it, we see a man in his most primal type of existence.

There's a whole lot of sex, but not much passion.

A complex and expansive plot with precious few words.

For that reason, Flesh feels offbeat and original, and it's the kind of book that settles into your consciousness after you turn the final page.

For Marginalia, I'm Suzanne Perez.

Lior Torenberg's debut novel, Just Watch Me, follows a 20-something woman who starts a livestream marathon to raise money for her little sister who is in a coma.

Our main character, Del Danvers, is a mess, having dropped out of school at NYU and been fired from her job at a juice bar.

She can't pay for her tiny New York apartment, which is a converted closet and doesn't even have a bathroom.

She can't pay for her burgeoning student loans.

She cannot afford a doctor visit to see about her perpetual stomach pain.

She tries to make money selling plant propagations to trust fund kids, but even that venture doesn't pan out the way she wants it to.

So she impulsively launches a 24-hour live stream under the username Mademoiselle Dell, and we are soon dropped into the fascinating subculture of online streamers and their loyal audiences.

When Del realizes that provocative content translates to more money, she starts proposing crazier and crazier schemes to keep people watching and clicking the donate button.

When she eats several habanero peppers on camera, she sees the donations come pouring in, and she also catches the attention of a well-known streamer known for his spicy food escapades.

And that's where the novel takes a heated and propulsive turn.