Michael Chabon is a really interesting writer – he has literary chops, but likes to play with all sorts of genres and conventions in his novels. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union was described by Publisher’s Weekly as “a murder-mystery speculative-history Jewish-identity noir chess thriller” and that’s probably as coherent a description as you’re going to get. It’s not a perfect novel (I still think Chabon’s best is The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay), but as always Chabon writes great characters, and it’s a very compelling read.