convolute

How barmy is it to fly thousands of people half-way around the world to sit in giant air-conditioned tents to argue about commas, and interpretations of convoluted words?

Our reviewer, Steven Poole, wrote that “the book proceeds like a convoluted murder mystery, introducing one suspect after another in what seems like an open-and-shut case, before puncturing the promising narrative with an inconvenient fact.”

In convoluted language, the resolution does mention a possible future Palestinian state -- an eventuality firmly and repeatedly rejected by Israel.

But these convoluted John le Carré diversions are not engaging, and the attempts to enrich the characters are clunky.

“Life is not a continuous line from the cradle to the grave,” as we read in “Consider the Consequences,” but instead a convoluted series of choices and refusals.