SILENT EXTRAS
by Arnon Grunberg
People seem to stand around in their underwear a lot in this aggressively goofy episodic-comic picaresque, the second novel from the native Dutch (now American) author of Blue Mondays (1997). That’s because its rootless protagonists—suavely manic Broccoli, sensual Elvira, and suggestible Ewald (who narrates)—are itinerant slackers slouching through Amsterdam, whose inconsiderable energies are expended in schemes and scams whereby they hope to become film stars, wealthy moguls, or perhaps just indolent favorites of the gods. If these lackadaisical phonies strike you as likable eccentrics, you’ll probably be charmed by Silent Extras. If they don’t, you may find yourself reaching for the nearest Penelope Fitzgerald novel.