Englander's novel is a good entertainment though if falls short on a few points

Nathan Englander's Dinner at the Center of the Earth is worth a read in that it's short and entertaining. I won't give away plot points, but he does a nice job pulling the strands together by the end of the novel (we have 3 main characters, an Israeli general based on Sharon, a Palestinian activist/terrorist operating out of Europe, mostly Berlin, and an American recruited to work for the Israeli secret service but who turns and is captured and imprisoned). The speed and efficiency of this novel, however, comes at a certain cost. First of all, the characters are never developed and have only the vaguest of back stories so we don't particularly care for them as people or even know them as people - they are just like board pieces that move the plot along. You can't help but feel that this is a sketch of a spy thriller - a PowerPoint version of Le Carre, if you will. Second, although there are a couple of twists and surprises along the way, in other respects we know far more than the characters and some of the key plot events that catch the protagonists unaware are certainly no surprise to attentive readers. Third, the Palestinian-terrorist plot line is tenuous and thin. Spoilers here: If in fact it's the Palestinian we've been following who gets together w/ an Israeli spy for the eponymous dinner - and I think NE should have made it more clear if this is the case - we just have not bought into their highly improbable relationship. NE desperately wants to conclude this twisty tale with some upbeat notes and images, but the last few chapters, rich w/ heavy-handed imagery, feel out of sync w/ the rest of the novel. Fourth, a knowledge of the complex history of Israeli politics and of the Intifada would help readers, and I have to admit I'm kind of slack in that department. All this said, this novel is a good entertainment and, who knows?, might make a good movie, mutatis mutandis. 

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