Arnon Grunberg
Soma,
2001-05-01
2001-05-01, Soma

Silent Extras by Arnon Grunberg


Jonathan Morrow


Dropping out of high school may not be such a bad thing after all. Just ask Arnon Grunberg. By the age of twenty-one, this Dutch literary wunderkind launched his own publishing company and soon thereafter, on a dare, came out with his first novel, Blue Mondays. Set in Amsterdam, the semi-autobiographical debut became a bestseller throughout Europe and had critics raving about the author's incisive wit and original voice.
It is to Amsterdam that Grunberg returns in Silent Extras, an episodic novel about a young trio's desire to make it big and be heard in a world that really doesn't want to listen. Nerdy Ewald, the book's narrator, is an aspiring actor whose dreams of fame are spurred when he meets rich kid Broccoli. With Oscar Wilde's self-confidence and attention to the art of living but without any of his talent, would-be impresario Broccoli convinces Ewald and femme fatale Elvira that his ingenious plan, "Operation Brando," will have them in the international spotlight before they know it. But it doesn't take a genius to realize that such a plan is flawed, particularly when its lofty goals are not supported by dedication.
Despite their lassitude and faults, which range from disarming naiveté to deplorable shallowness, the three manage to hold our attention. In fact, much like the figures in Douglas Coupland's Generation X and Michael Chabon's The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, the characters in Silent Extras remain engaging precisely because of their shortcomings, which unavoidably serve as a reflection of our own faults.