What are your opinions on this quote?

[Neshboy Aburi]

Take Zia's desires to be the flesh. To satisfy the "flesh" she has to sacrifice her emotional wellbeing " by sleeping with the wrong guy". I think it all boils down to this popular saying , "you can't have your cake and eat it."

[Sushan Ekanayake]

In Zias context i think it refers to the fact that she gives into her body's sexual desires which leaves her with a hefty price to pay for getting caught up in a few moments of ppassion with the wrong person.

Not only Zia but also all the victims of the killer too gave in to the sexual needs that their bodies craved, and ended up being in a relationship with the wrong person. Yes, that helped them to satisfy the demands of their bodies, but had to make ultimate sacrifices as well.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I think the author is right in the sense that a person has to make various sacrifices to please the flesh. These sacrifices could be going to the gym, restricting yourself to a kind of food everyday and so on. In Zia's case, she had to make sacrifices to fulfill her sexual desires. These sacrifices always come with effects.

The kind of sacrifices that you meant are needed when you are a sort of a playboy. In a real relationship being trustworthy will be the only sacrifice that one might have to do, which in case of Zia she could not do. She could not remain trustworthy to Bryce because satisfying her flesh felt more important to her. So for that one mistake she did she had to sacrifice many things in return.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I think the word flesh means the physical body. Since we have free will, you are able to make a choice. I think that Zia could have made different choices other than the ones she made just to fulfill her sexual desires.

I agree. Zia had her choices, but she made the wrong one as she wanted to satisfy her flesh, her physical body. And yes, she received the satisfaction she needed, but with many sacrifices including the happiness of the man whom she loved and who loved her back very much to the extent of forgiving her at the end for such a grave breach of trust.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Of course. Things of the flesh has always been demanding of sacrifices, at times greater than one can carry. Zia choose to sacrifice herself and her body to please her flesh.

I am thinking of this reference of 'flesh' is meant for the physical body, or specifically its sexual organs. Zia needed sex, and her body (flesh) demanded that. Despite all the love, care, protection, and recognition that she got from Bryce, she gave herself (mind) in to satisfy her flesh. It is true that Bryce forgave her at the end, but the sequel has another book and we are yet to see the extent of her sacrifice.

[Vine Michael]

Concerning the book, Zia paid hefty sacrifices for the fulfillment of her desires. This quote is true because flesh most often than not is used to describe lust or sexual desires.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

In her professional life, Zia is portrayed as an ambitious and hardworking person. She put her career at risk when she violated the client-agent relationship with Baxter. She also risked her relationship with Bryce for sexual gratification with another person. So the quote describes what Zia was willing to risk or sacrifice in order to satisfy her needs and desire.

I agree. Yes, she was expecting a breakthrough in her career and Baxter's book would have gave her that. But she could not remain with him in a professional level because her flesh (body) required his attention. At the same time she betrayed Bryce's love in order to be with Baxter, just to fulfill her desires. Indeed this shows how one has to sacrifice many things just to fulfill the bodily needs.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I believe the flesh represents our body with insatiable needs, and the sacrifices are obstacles in form of risks which we take to fulfil our insatiable needs or wants. Just as Zia has a lot need and would not mind taking a risk or stepping out of her comfort zone.

To satisfy any of our bodily needs we may have to make sacrifices. But sacrifices become necessary when you go to comforting yourself in wrong ways. That is what exactly happened to Zia. If she remained faithful to Bryce, one day her sexual needs too would have been fulfilled. But she did not have that patience, so she went to Baxter, sacrificing her true love, her comfort, and it could have even cost her her life (luckily it did not). More correctly, to satisfy one's flesh in wrong ways you definitely need sacrifices.

[Damian Keyes]

At the beginning of this book, Zia was sacrificing a love life for work life. Eventually, she needed that human touch and connection that only a suitor could give her. I love this quote and it embodies the whole journey throughout this book. Zia had sexual desires but Bryce didn't fulfill that part of her life, so for her to feel like a desirable woman, she had to get that love from Baxter. She needed that lover's touch to feed her mind, body, and soul so that she can feel protected and wanted.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Flesh is referring to the body. In some instances, it refers to Zia’s desires and lust. Change begins at the end of your comfort zone and for Zia, her change happened when she risked her relationship with Bryce.

It says flesh demands sacrifices for its existence, but not for satisfaction. If it was referring to Zia's body, I don't think sex was the only thing that was necessary for its existence, so there was no need to make sacrifices for that. But if it was referred to lust the answer changes. Still I am in doubt whether she actually needed to go to Baxter for mere existence of her lust. What she sought was satisfaction. If she simply could keep her lust she would not have to cheat on Bryce. Her mission to satisfy her lust made her to make several sacrifices.

[Akshobhya B]

"Flesh" here means Zia's carnal desires. Zia is frustrated because Bryce wouldn't have sex with her. She is drawn to Baxter whom she finds confident, cultured, well endowed and unafraid to express himself sexually. So, in order to satisfy her sexual needs she is willing to "sacrifice" her relationship with Bryce.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

For me, I didn't take the word flesh literally, but just the sacrifices we make every day. Some sacrifices are enormous and some are minor. The connection I made with that quote though was when Zia mentioned women "changing themselves to fit whatever environment they're in." Losing yourself to fit into someone else's world.

I think I can agree with what you say. Getting accustomed to the environment was the biggest issue that Zia had because of her anxiety disorder (or issue). She had to sacrifice a lot of her happiness due to her inability to getting accustomed to it, and then she did several more sacrifices when she tried to overcome her anxiety and get accustomed to the environment. Maybe exploring her sexual desires came as one of such sacrifices, because that made her a more social and a recognized character along with the pleasure that her own flesh (body) received.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I think her heart and soul made the sacrifice for her body’s desires. She had Bryce back home who loved her and gave us no indication that he was anything but a good guy, yet she sleeps with Baxter multiple times. Her flesh sacrificed her spirit for that affair.

Yes, I also did not see even a moment that her body suffered or sacrificed anything for its pleasure received from Baxter. Though Zia was happy to have sex and fulfill her lust at first later her heart and mind were against that, but with pain did the sacrifice to her bodily enjoyment. The sad thing was that sacrifice being extended to Bryce as well when he came to know her cheating on him, and when he chose to forgive her and accept her in the condition that she came to him after being fully consumed by Baxter.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

"Flesh demands sacrifice for it's existence." I think this is an apt summation of the human life. Every single day we make sacrifices. For instance, if you wake up late, you have to sacrifice skipping breakfast in order to be at work early. The reverse is true, you wake up early in order to have breakfast, you have to sacrifice a bit of sleep. In this case, Zia attempts to avoid making a choice between the two men, she doesn't want to sacrifice either of them in favour of this other. Unfortunately, this lack of sacrifice is a sacrifice in itself. She's now torn between two people who she's deeply invested in. The end result being that she is the sacrifice. Her piece of mind is the sacrifice. This love triangle she is caught up in the the price she has to pay for not making a sacrifice.

I think the quote is accurate. As long as you are human, you just don't get to go Scott free, a sacrifice has to be made.

I agree. Nothing comes free and you will have to pay the relevant price. And if you not paid it willingly or delayed it you will either loose what you have or you will face the repercussions. As you correctly said Zia is the best example for this. She could not simply choose one man to love, and that made her mind to be torn apart, to suffer, and finally humiliate herself by going to Bryce for his forgiveness (though Bryce did not humiliate her but forgave her). And the victims of the killer, with no argument, paid the ultimate price as they went to satisfy their bodily needs. So, yes, flesh demands sacrifices for its existence.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I totally agree with the author and the quote is appropriately used in the story. In today's world of mutual reciprocity, nothing comes free. So even to fulfill someone's bodily desires (which I assume 'flesh' meant in the context) one has to pay a hefty sum whether it's in the form of mental trauma or as a perilous journey toward the fulfillment of a desire just like Zia's life in the story.

Yes, Zia's mind yearned for acceptance while her body craved for fulfillment. Sadly she did not get both from one place, and she chose to let her peace of mind to be gone simply to fulfill her bodily desires, and that is why she ended up meeting Baxter and having sex with him. When she finally knew who he really was, it was her mind not her body that made the sacrifice, by being shredded into pieces. Though she was forgiven by Bryce her life won't be the same anymore. She had her flesh satisfied, but had paid the price too.