The Dinner by Herman Koch
From the book: A darkly suspenseful, highly controversial tale of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives -- all over the course of one meal.
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.
Tautly written, incredibly gripping, and told by an unforgettable narrator, The Dinner promises to be the topic of countless dinner party debates. Skewering everything from parenting values to pretentious menus to political convictions, this novel reveals the dark side of genteel society and asks what each of us would do in the face of unimaginable tragedy.
My Review: The European Gone Girl is what critics labeled this book. Eh, not sure I agree. I think The Dinner was much more predictable. I didn't feel the suspense in this novel. It wasn't thought provoking, unless you're intrigued by the lengths parents will go to protect their children. But honestly, if my kid did any of the heinious things that these children did I'd take the reward money and turn their butts in. At some point parents need to stop protecting children from everything and teach them to be responsible for their actions. A major problem with the later Millenial Generation and beyond in my opinion. That may be rather harsh and I'm sure offensive. But look around, kids are incredibly much more dependent these days and everyone but the children and their parents get blamed for the misbehavior these days. Ask any teacher...
Interesting that the whole story took place over the course of one dinner. I did enjoy the details of the dinner and the quirkiness, unappreciated by the characters, of the restaurant and it's staff. I particularly loved the annoyance felt in the way the server described every course and pointed with his pinky in rather close proximity to the food as he did so.
I didn't develop a liking for any of the characters. They were all annoying in their own rights.
Recommendation: Quick and easy read. Not much to think about, which I guess is why I didn't enjoy Gone Girl either. I like psychologically thrilling or historically educational reads. For me, books like The Dinner are just an easy read when you don't want to think about anything. I'm conflicted rather to say read it or don't bother. It wasn't horrible, and I'm sure there are several of you that will like it. Like I said, just not my cup of tea. Give it a shot, just to read something different if that's what you're after. Especially, if you liked Gone Girl!
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