The Finkler Question Book

The three central characters; Treslove; Libor and Finkler are all interesting, as is their friendship. However the story is very introspective throughout and has a limited narrative. That is Ok, as long as you understand, or want to understand, the idiosyncrasies of the Jewish culture. Much of the story focuses around anti Semitism especially that experienced within the Jewish community about itself; as it is something beyond my experience I found this a very interesting perspective. I loved the focus of each of the characters trying in some way to measure their own and each other's success, especially in the area of love; the author captured the emotions experienced by Treslove following his confessions to Libor as they were so perceptive and typical of a character who essentially was trapped in an ego centric mindset enhanced by his own self loathing. Treslove holds a guilty secret and needs to tell someone. His choice of Libor was so typical of the human mindset and so absolutely regrettable.
Other reviewers have talked about this book being humorous. Humours is not how I would describe The Finkler Question. I found it poignant at times and sad - in an unsympathetic understanding of the word; Treslove is such a neurotic that I really wanted to counsel him or kick him, and I think ultimately we were being led to indifference towards him as he appeared to lack any redeeming features, and I suppose it is a tricky writing stunt to pull off and keep people reading until the end. If he was meant to be funny - I just didn't get it. That said, perhaps the book is meant for a certain type of reader; male, middle class,mysoginists, Jewish, perhaps the unfortunate partners of similar types of characters as Treslove, and someone who spends a lots of time doing too much self analysis.

'He should have seen it coming. His life had been one mishap after another. So he should have been prepared for this one...' Julian Treslove a professionally unspectacular former BBC radio producer and Sam Finkler a popular Jewish philosopher writer and television personality are old school friends. Despite a prickly relationship and very different lives they've never quite lost touch with each other - or with their former teacher Libor Sevcik a Czech always more concerned with the wider world than with exam results. Now both Libor and Finkler are recently widowed and with Treslove his chequered and unsuccessful record with women rendering him an honorary third widower they dine at Libor's grand central London apartment. It's a sweetly painful evening of reminiscence in which all three remove themselves to a time before they had loved and lost; a time before they had fathered children before the devastation of separations before they had prized anything greatly enough to fear the loss of it. Better perhaps to go through life without knowing happiness at all because that way you have less to mourn?Treslove finds he has tears enough for the unbearable sadness of both his friends' losses. And it's that very evening at exactly 11:30 pm as Treslove walking home hesitates a moment outside the window of the oldest violin dealer in the country that he is attacked. And after this his whole sense of who and what he is will slowly and ineluctably change. "The Finkler Question" is a scorching story of friendship and loss exclusion and belonging and of the wisdom and humanity of maturity. Funny furious unflinching this extraordinary novel shows one of our finest writers at his brilliant best.

In The Finkler Question, author Howard Jacobson, described as a 'genius' by both The Times and Independent, explores the relationship of three old friends who have suffered the pain of loss and failure. Winner of the 2010 Man Booker Prize, this is an extraordinary tale of friendship and humanity.