One of the Gentile characters in this novel says to another of the Gentile characters about Jews, "...what do we know? I think you've got to be one to get it." That pretty well describes my experience with this novel about the modern day Jewish experience. I'm not a Jew and I just don't get it.
Two of the book's three central characters are Jews, and the third wants to be one. They are long-time friends despite the fact that the two Jews (Finkler and Libor) have differing attitudes about many Jewish questions, particularly about Israel/Palestine, and that the non-Jew (Treslove) is secretly overwhelmed by envy of the other two. Since Sam Finkler was the first Jewish friend Julian Treslove had ever had, in his mind he names all Jews as Finklers. Thus, the Finkler Question is actually the Jewish Question.
There's a lot of angst going on here, but in a serio-comic vein. Think Woody Allen.
I have recently read with pleasure novels about Nigeria/Biafra and Russia/Chechnya, finding them completely relatable even though I have no background in either culture. The actions and reactions of the characters were universal for people under stress and extreme hardship. I can find no commonality with the characters in this book. They do not seem to behave or think in a way that is comprehensible to me. The lone Jewish person that I know well does not seem to share the mindset depicted here.
The Finkler Question was awarded England's Booker Prize in 2010. It is well written, and evidently other people got it.
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