Is it a great novel?: The Infatuations

Javier Marias's The Infatuations may be a great book, I'm holding off on making state strong a claim till I finish reading it, but it's certainly an unusual, challenging, and at time frustrating book.I've been thinking while reading it as to how it would translate, if at all, into film. It's amazing how little actually "happens" in this novel (I will be giving away some key plot points here): narrator, Maria, observes a couple in a cafe, after not seeing them for several days, learns that the man (Miguel) had been stabbed to death by a homeless man; Maria befriends the widow and visits her (once), during which time she meets the best friend of the couple (Javier - note the weird similarity of names to the author's name); Javier meets Maria "accidentally" in a museum, and they begin an affair. When a visitor arrives one morning at J's apt., Maria overhears their talk and learns that they had conspired to have Miguel murdered (so that J. could woo and win the widow, Louisa). This was the dramatic high point of the novel: does J. know whether M. overheard this conversation? If so, what will he do? And what should she do? Tell Louisa? The police? There's perhaps a skeleton of a good movie here - but this novel is not about action but rather about talk about action - reflection, rumination, speculation, self-examination. In section I read yesterday, Javier calls Maria to his apt., where she goes reluctantly. He tells her he knows she overheard; she can't deny she knows of the plot. He goes into a long-winded self-defense - it's still not clear what Maria will do, or what she should do. Oddly, she's not especially afraid of Javier, even though she knows he's a killer and would have every reason to kill her before she tells anyone of the murder plot. I have to say I find some of the extended, talky narration quite insightful and compelling, but I'm also getting a little frustrated at how slowly this story moves forward. My final judgment on the novel will depend, I think, on whether Marias can bring plot to a conclusion - or whether he just leaves us hanging, dangling, lost in speculation.