Title: The Dinner
Author: Herman Koch
ISBN: 9780770437855
No. of Pages: 304
Genre: Literary Fiction
Origins: NetGalley and Crown Publishing Group
Bottom Line: Quietly, starkly and slowly, the story reveals itself in messy layers that heighten the suspense and increase the sense of familial desperation which makes this such a powerful read.
“It’s a summer’s evening in Amsterdam, and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. Between mouthfuls of food and over the polite scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse — the banality of work, the triviality of the holidays. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened.Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act; an act that has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable, insulated worlds of their families. As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children. As civility and friendship disintegrate, each couple show just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love.”
Thoughts: The Dinner is the type of novel in which giving away even the barest of plot points would be to upset the tightly woven balance between superficial banalities and the darker undercurrents of tension and desperation that occur in the shared meal between family members. The story gains its power in the slow and steady release of key details, surprising twists, and other unexpected moments, while the swell of rising emotions among the dinner guests mirrors a reader’s own sense of uneasiness about the direction of the story. The cold brusqueness of many of the characters only adds to this sense of pending doom. The entire novel culminates in scenes that are chilling in their brutality while also stunning in the depths of parental love all four parents display.
In The Dinner, Mr. Koch does not cater to an inattentive audience. Rather, he forces a reader to take an active role in the story, reading between the words unspoken and body language described through Paul’s observations. In particular, Paul’s intense protection of his son and wife, while apparent in each word stated, is even more obvious in that which is left unstated, something that is simultaneously unsettling and surprisingly admirable. His deep regard for his right to privacy, as well as that of his wife and son, is indicative of this need to safeguard his family against all ills while simultaneously skewering the prurient nature of modern society. The Dinner is as much social commentary as it is a story about a family in crisis, but Mr. Koch makes a reader work to understand the story’s duality.
While The Dinner is heavy with European references – as one would expect with a Dutch author, a story revolving around two families firmly entrenched in the Dutch infrastructure, and a setting that can only happen in Amsterdam – there is a generic quality to it that resonates with readers around the globe. The urge to protect one’s offspring crosses all boundaries regardless of social, economic, religious, political, racial, and any other classification. It is this profoundly mammalian instinct which initially grabs the reader’s attention and a main reason for the story’s worldwide popularity.
The Dinner is the best type of thinking man’s novel; quiet and unassuming, it relies not on action and adventure but the emotions and thoughts of its characters to drive forward the story. The hints of anxiety glimpsed within each character’s mannerisms as well as the uniquely human components regarding parental involvement heighten a reader’s emotional awareness. All of the elements blend together into a taut, highly nuanced literary thriller in which the thrills come from each uncovered layer of this meticulously written expose on the relationship between parents and their children and their obligations to each other.
It is surprisingly intense, although you wouldn't think it would be so. I hope you enjoy it if you read it!
I heard about this one being good. Sounds like an intense little story! cheers. http://www.thecuecard.com/
You should! It had a feel of a classic – subtle and less obvious than most current novels. I really liked it.
You will love it!
Once you get started though, you forget how tired you are, I promise! It's a relatively short book too. You will definitely enjoy it when you do decide to read it.
Exactly! I love that the tension was so understated and hidden behind the polite veneer of their public personas. The ending threw me for a loop too.
Not a problem! It really is a great book and definitely worthy of all the buzz it is generating.
You will definitely enjoy it!
Exactly. It sneaks up on you, but once you are caught within the story's web, you can't put it down.
I keep waffling on this one. I will probably end up reading it though.
I need to read this! It sounds fab!
I do want to read this one, but my brain is not ready for a lot of thinking after working all day:) maybe some weekend this would be a good choice. I do have it. Thanks for such a well written review.
One of my favorite books so far this year. It was so subtle and tense. So much more of a ride than having thrills thrown at you.
Definitely not for a day dreamy reader, but these are the type of books that keeps the mind going. Thanks Michelle 🙂
I have this one and cannot wait to read it.
I was pretty impressed with this one too. I was hesitant to pick it up, wasn't sure it was my kind of thing, but once I began the novel I was drawn in by all the secrecy and stuff happening.