What do you think?
Rate this book
丕賱毓卮丕亍
乇賵丕賷丞 "丕賱毓卮丕亍" 鬲毓丿 兀丨丿 兀賳噩丨 丕賱乇賵丕賷丕鬲 丕賱賴賵賱賳丿賱賷丞 丕賱賲毓丕氐乇丞貙 賵丕賱兀賰孬乇 鬲乇噩賲丞 賲賳 丕賱賴賵賱賳丿賷丞 廿賱賶 丕賱賱睾丕鬲 丕賱兀禺乇賶貙 丨賷孬 鬲賲鬲 鬲乇噩賲鬲賴丕 廿賱賷 兀賰孬乇 賲賳 33 賱睾丞 丨鬲賶 丕賱丌賳. 賰賲丕 賵氐賱鬲 廿賱賷 賯丕卅賲丞 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱兀賰孬乇 賲亘賷毓賸丕 賮賷 賯丕卅賲丞 "賳賷賵賷賵乇賰 鬲丕賷賲夭"貙 賵丕丨鬲賱鬲 丕賱賲乇賰夭 丕賱鬲丕爻毓 胤賷賱丞 8 兀爻丕亘賷毓 賲鬲氐賱丞貙 賵賴賵 賲丕 賱賲 賷丨丿孬 賲毓 兀賷 乇賵丕卅賷 賴賵賱賳丿賷 賲賳 賯亘賱貙 賵賵氐賱鬲 兀賷囟賸丕 廿賱賷 賯賵丕卅賲 丕賱賰鬲亘 丕賱兀賰孬乇 賲亘賷毓賸丕 賮賷 賰賱賺 賲賳 兀賱賲丕賳賷丕貙 賵賮乇賳爻丕貙 賵廿賷胤丕賱賷丕貙 賵廿爻亘丕賳賷丕. 賰賲丕 賮丕夭 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 亘噩丕卅夭丞 "賰鬲丕亘 丕賱毓丕賲" 賮賷 賴賵賱賳丿丕 毓丕賲 2009.
鬲丿賵乇 兀丨丿丕孬 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賰賱賴丕 賮賷 賱賷賱丞 賵丕丨丿丞 丨賵賱 賲丕卅丿丞 丕賱毓卮丕亍 丕賱鬲賷 賷賱鬲賯賷 毓賱賷賴丕 卮賯賷賯丕賳: 賲丿乇爻 爻丕亘賯 賱丕 賷毓賲賱 賵夭賵噩鬲賴貙 賵爻賷丕爻賷 賲乇卮丨 賱賲賳氐亘 乇卅賷爻 賵夭乇丕亍 賵夭賵噩鬲賴. 丕賱兀乇亘毓丞 賷亘丨孬賵賳 兀丨賵丕賱 兀亘賳丕卅賴賲 鈥� 賲賷卮賷賱 賵乇賷賰貙 賮廿賱賷 兀賷 賲丿賷 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 賷匕賴亘 丕賱丌亘丕亍 賲賳 兀噩賱 丨賲丕賷丞 兀賵賱丕丿賴賲.
鬲丿賵乇 兀丨丿丕孬 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賰賱賴丕 賮賷 賱賷賱丞 賵丕丨丿丞 丨賵賱 賲丕卅丿丞 丕賱毓卮丕亍 丕賱鬲賷 賷賱鬲賯賷 毓賱賷賴丕 卮賯賷賯丕賳: 賲丿乇爻 爻丕亘賯 賱丕 賷毓賲賱 賵夭賵噩鬲賴貙 賵爻賷丕爻賷 賲乇卮丨 賱賲賳氐亘 乇卅賷爻 賵夭乇丕亍 賵夭賵噩鬲賴. 丕賱兀乇亘毓丞 賷亘丨孬賵賳 兀丨賵丕賱 兀亘賳丕卅賴賲 鈥� 賲賷卮賷賱 賵乇賷賰貙 賮廿賱賷 兀賷 賲丿賷 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 賷匕賴亘 丕賱丌亘丕亍 賲賳 兀噩賱 丨賲丕賷丞 兀賵賱丕丿賴賲.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
6,144 people are currently reading
89.5k people want to read
About the author
Herman Koch
65听books1,576听followersHerman Koch (1953) is known as a television producer and a writer. The book 'Het diner', published in 2009, was his breakthrough in the Netherlands. It was published in 17 countries. It was partly based on a true story involving a homeless woman named, Mar铆a del Rosario Endrinal Petit, in Barcelona (Spain), in December 2005.
Koch was born in Arnhem, and later moved to Amsterdam. He studied Russian for some months, and lived in Finland for a while. Nowadays he is married to the Spanish Amalia, and has a son, Pablo (1994).
Koch was born in Arnhem, and later moved to Amsterdam. He studied Russian for some months, and lived in Finland for a while. Nowadays he is married to the Spanish Amalia, and has a son, Pablo (1994).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 20,692 reviews
April 15, 2014
Hated this book! It felt contrived and stilted. I didn't like any of the characters. I couldn't identify with any of them. None of the dialogue was believable. The situation was farcical (why would you go to a super-expensive, elite restaurant to talk about such a private matter?). The whole book was about protecting the kids from their own actions - their was no sense of personal responsibility, no remorse, no soul searching. The narrator was a violent thug who just whined incessantly the whole way through the book. He was as big a bore as his brother.
I can't begin to describe how irritated and ripped off I felt by this book.
To compare it to The Slap (by Australian author Christos Tsiolkas) is such a joke. The characters in that book were so well written and, while not always likeable (in fact some were really icky), they were believable. And it explored the underlying issues and fallout from the "event" that the book gets its name from.
I felt like the The Dinner was a cheap stunt designed to make the reader feel like they had explored something deep, dark and dangerous. It is white-bread, middle class, lite-lit of the worst kind.
I can't begin to describe how irritated and ripped off I felt by this book.
To compare it to The Slap (by Australian author Christos Tsiolkas) is such a joke. The characters in that book were so well written and, while not always likeable (in fact some were really icky), they were believable. And it explored the underlying issues and fallout from the "event" that the book gets its name from.
I felt like the The Dinner was a cheap stunt designed to make the reader feel like they had explored something deep, dark and dangerous. It is white-bread, middle class, lite-lit of the worst kind.
December 4, 2013
I really detested every character in this book (with the exception of Serge, him I just disliked). I hated the ending with every fiber of my being. I found myself wanting to put it down numerous times, and I felt physically ill when I realized where the ending was going....and yet I didn't hate the book itself. I actually went back and forth about whether to give it three stars or four stars for quite awhile. If it was possible I would give it 3 1/2 stars, so lets just say I did.
I am going to leave my review simple for many reasons- 1) You don't need me to tell you what this book is about because there are lots of other people explaining the plot on 欧宝娱乐, and they will do it much better than me (writing down my thoughts has never been my forte)... 2) I have just started to voice my opinions on here, and my thoughts on this book would make me sound like a " raving, people hating, I weep for the future" kind of gal...and finally 3) If I get into my feelings of THE DINNER I will probably give something away (since I don't know how to use the spoiler warning yet). I feel to get the most enjoyment out of reading it, you really should go in blind.
I am going to leave my review simple for many reasons- 1) You don't need me to tell you what this book is about because there are lots of other people explaining the plot on 欧宝娱乐, and they will do it much better than me (writing down my thoughts has never been my forte)... 2) I have just started to voice my opinions on here, and my thoughts on this book would make me sound like a " raving, people hating, I weep for the future" kind of gal...and finally 3) If I get into my feelings of THE DINNER I will probably give something away (since I don't know how to use the spoiler warning yet). I feel to get the most enjoyment out of reading it, you really should go in blind.
June 25, 2018
so this is probably a safe bet for people who liked . in other words, not you, richard. but it is not nearly as twisty and satisfying as g.g., methinks.
it has the moral bankruptcy of , the shallow people, banal small talk and heavily-done descriptive elements of , and the "we are here to talk about our delinquent kids but it isn't going to go well" scenario of . and why yes, i have only seen the film adaptation, thank you for asking.
the whole thing takes place over a single dinner, with each section of the book corresponding to a course in the meal. the participants are two couples; a pair of resentful brothers and their wives, and the occasion is not a festive one, but a sit-down to discuss the horrific crime their sons have committed together, whether to tell the authorities, and how this will impact the one's plans in his campaign for prime minister of the netherlands.
the restaurant itself is a nightmare - the kind of place you have to wait three months for a table (unless you are serge lohman, beloved prime minister-to-be), and they serve you mostly plate and insist on telling you all about the ingredients and from whence they came, and how the little baby calves were petted and loved until they were turned into sweetbreads. so the story becomes this juxtaposition of the violence of their children against
(oh, greg is going to be so proud of me)
but it's an odd little book. maybe it is the translation, but it is very stilted, whose characters seem like when aliens wear human faces, and not just because of how reprehensible some of them are in their little moral cesspool.
the storytelling itself is very skewed - there are amazingly minute details about the food and its cost, but it gleefully glosses over the important stuff. which is coy and intentional, but frustrating for the reader, who really wants to know what psychological disorder our increasingly unreliable narrator suffers from.
as the story goes on, the tension escalates, and with every course, as the waiter's finger comes closer and closer to the food as he relentlessly describes every element on the plate, you can feel the simmer of the unspoken building to a boil.
there is a lot of violence in this book. there is the crime itself, but there are also numerous flashback stories and memory sequences, where violence is alluded to and then celebrated in ever-increasing swathes of confession. while still doing the coy thing, the discreet turn away from the camera when it comes time to make with some of the details.
ultimately, the book is about protecting family vs doing what is right, but "right" in this case is subjective, and two of our subjects just don't have the same compass as us; they have a nick-and-amy compass. so things are going to get rough.
it's perfectly good, it just didn't make me see stars.
bon appetit!!
it has the moral bankruptcy of , the shallow people, banal small talk and heavily-done descriptive elements of , and the "we are here to talk about our delinquent kids but it isn't going to go well" scenario of . and why yes, i have only seen the film adaptation, thank you for asking.
the whole thing takes place over a single dinner, with each section of the book corresponding to a course in the meal. the participants are two couples; a pair of resentful brothers and their wives, and the occasion is not a festive one, but a sit-down to discuss the horrific crime their sons have committed together, whether to tell the authorities, and how this will impact the one's plans in his campaign for prime minister of the netherlands.
the restaurant itself is a nightmare - the kind of place you have to wait three months for a table (unless you are serge lohman, beloved prime minister-to-be), and they serve you mostly plate and insist on telling you all about the ingredients and from whence they came, and how the little baby calves were petted and loved until they were turned into sweetbreads. so the story becomes this juxtaposition of the violence of their children against
(oh, greg is going to be so proud of me)
but it's an odd little book. maybe it is the translation, but it is very stilted, whose characters seem like when aliens wear human faces, and not just because of how reprehensible some of them are in their little moral cesspool.
the storytelling itself is very skewed - there are amazingly minute details about the food and its cost, but it gleefully glosses over the important stuff. which is coy and intentional, but frustrating for the reader, who really wants to know what psychological disorder our increasingly unreliable narrator suffers from.
as the story goes on, the tension escalates, and with every course, as the waiter's finger comes closer and closer to the food as he relentlessly describes every element on the plate, you can feel the simmer of the unspoken building to a boil.
there is a lot of violence in this book. there is the crime itself, but there are also numerous flashback stories and memory sequences, where violence is alluded to and then celebrated in ever-increasing swathes of confession. while still doing the coy thing, the discreet turn away from the camera when it comes time to make with some of the details.
ultimately, the book is about protecting family vs doing what is right, but "right" in this case is subjective, and two of our subjects just don't have the same compass as us; they have a nick-and-amy compass. so things are going to get rough.
it's perfectly good, it just didn't make me see stars.
bon appetit!!
April 29, 2015
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the oppressive thing about happiness, the way everything is out on the table like an open book.鈥�
When you look at the "rating details" for every widely-read book on 欧宝娱乐, you will almost always see most ratings being 5 or 4 stars. Even when it comes to divisive books like , 60% of the ratings are for 4 or 5 stars.
Now look at the ratings for . There are an overwhelming number of 3 star ratings (more than any other). And I get why. This is the kind of book that you remember as being "clever" and "twisted" but never rush out to recommend. It's a book you find it hard to say isn't "good", but at the same time you weren't blown away. And, though it may be about a dinner, it just isn't that delicious.
The whole story consists of one dinner at one of those overpriced restaurants where you get a tiny morsel of food in the centre of your plate. Two couples are at this meal - the narrator (Paul), his politician brother (Serge Lohman), and their wives (Claire and Babette). Through little flashbacks and side stories, details and vagueness, it becomes clear that there's a dark side to this get together and our narrator might not be so reliable.
It's a book about many things: mental illness, dehumanization, middle class people and the coveted notion of a "happy family". I particularly liked how Koch explored the ways in which subtle language changes can be used to dehumanize someone. Like calling a drunk person an "alcoholic" so that's what they become - defined by their drunken state, no longer human, deserving of everything they get.
It's a book that gets darker and darker. And, despite the scope of the novel being relatively small, it remains compelling. The narrator's disdain for his pretentious brother and the general faff of "posh" restaurants is amusing.
Though I think, most of all, this novel has a severe lack of believability and I found it hard to take seriously. Not because I don't believe people are this morally bankrupt - not that at all - but there's a certain farcical nature to the characters' actions. Would they really go out to eat at a restaurant when having a discussion like this? Would Claire really react the way she did at the end (before leaving the restaurant)?
is thought-provoking. It's twisted. It's good. But there are just enough problems with it that I can't rate higher than 3 stars.
When you look at the "rating details" for every widely-read book on 欧宝娱乐, you will almost always see most ratings being 5 or 4 stars. Even when it comes to divisive books like , 60% of the ratings are for 4 or 5 stars.
Now look at the ratings for . There are an overwhelming number of 3 star ratings (more than any other). And I get why. This is the kind of book that you remember as being "clever" and "twisted" but never rush out to recommend. It's a book you find it hard to say isn't "good", but at the same time you weren't blown away. And, though it may be about a dinner, it just isn't that delicious.
The whole story consists of one dinner at one of those overpriced restaurants where you get a tiny morsel of food in the centre of your plate. Two couples are at this meal - the narrator (Paul), his politician brother (Serge Lohman), and their wives (Claire and Babette). Through little flashbacks and side stories, details and vagueness, it becomes clear that there's a dark side to this get together and our narrator might not be so reliable.
It's a book about many things: mental illness, dehumanization, middle class people and the coveted notion of a "happy family". I particularly liked how Koch explored the ways in which subtle language changes can be used to dehumanize someone. Like calling a drunk person an "alcoholic" so that's what they become - defined by their drunken state, no longer human, deserving of everything they get.
It's a book that gets darker and darker. And, despite the scope of the novel being relatively small, it remains compelling. The narrator's disdain for his pretentious brother and the general faff of "posh" restaurants is amusing.
Though I think, most of all, this novel has a severe lack of believability and I found it hard to take seriously. Not because I don't believe people are this morally bankrupt - not that at all - but there's a certain farcical nature to the characters' actions. Would they really go out to eat at a restaurant when having a discussion like this? Would Claire really react the way she did at the end (before leaving the restaurant)?
is thought-provoking. It's twisted. It's good. But there are just enough problems with it that I can't rate higher than 3 stars.
November 23, 2019
Say you have a terrorist in the family. You see it on the news and then find irrefutable evidence in your own home. Would you protect the person from the police? Would you get together with your family to discuss the situation and all of you agree that further crimes will need to be committed by the family in order to protect their loved one? Would you encourage these crimes and even commit them yourself? Would you do all this in the certain knowledge that the person will do it again and again and again if you protect them? Shock, horror, right? But we see it must be happening.
What about if it was your son and he was a killer? We all know this happens in gangs too. We all wonder if it is what happens in the families of serial killers.
This is a hypothetical book, one of conjectures. It leads you slowly through the action, at each stage asking you to question yourself, do you find this acceptable, would you do this yourself, what kind of moral action do you expect (or not) from private and public citizens? It asks where responsibility lies and how much nurture v nature is responsible for our ethical conduct. It is an onion book, slowly slowly peeling the skin and the layers until you get to, through tears, the seed, the seed which could grow and form a new generation. A book of horrors. It's a what-if book and one very apposite for the times.
I started to read the book in print but it was very slow indeed. Later I understood why there was such a need for a big build-up but it was hard going and I gave it up for the audio book which had a wonderful narrator that brought the character of Paul, the raconteur and only voice of the story to life.
At first I thought the ending, a psychological excuse was a cop-out but then without it the book would have not involved the narrator (and his wife) quite so intimately.
People have said that the characters were not likeable, true. Well generally that does make it hard to enjoy a book, but not this one. If the characters had been likeable it wouldn't have been a 5-star read because then they would have been like us and this is never going to happen in our lives. I hope.
_______________
If you've read the book and thought nothing like that could ever really happen, read the . It chilled me to the bone. If you haven't read it, it's not so much a spoiler because the book is different. Kind of.
Rewritten 23rd Nov 2019
What about if it was your son and he was a killer? We all know this happens in gangs too. We all wonder if it is what happens in the families of serial killers.
This is a hypothetical book, one of conjectures. It leads you slowly through the action, at each stage asking you to question yourself, do you find this acceptable, would you do this yourself, what kind of moral action do you expect (or not) from private and public citizens? It asks where responsibility lies and how much nurture v nature is responsible for our ethical conduct. It is an onion book, slowly slowly peeling the skin and the layers until you get to, through tears, the seed, the seed which could grow and form a new generation. A book of horrors. It's a what-if book and one very apposite for the times.
I started to read the book in print but it was very slow indeed. Later I understood why there was such a need for a big build-up but it was hard going and I gave it up for the audio book which had a wonderful narrator that brought the character of Paul, the raconteur and only voice of the story to life.
At first I thought the ending, a psychological excuse was a cop-out but then without it the book would have not involved the narrator (and his wife) quite so intimately.
People have said that the characters were not likeable, true. Well generally that does make it hard to enjoy a book, but not this one. If the characters had been likeable it wouldn't have been a 5-star read because then they would have been like us and this is never going to happen in our lives. I hope.
_______________
If you've read the book and thought nothing like that could ever really happen, read the . It chilled me to the bone. If you haven't read it, it's not so much a spoiler because the book is different. Kind of.
Rewritten 23rd Nov 2019
September 28, 2013
This may have been one of the worst books I have ever read. I will confess that generally I want to have at least one character that I like. But it's not always necessary. If the plot or situation enthralls me in such a way that I am compelled to keep reading, then I'm happy to. This book however, I kept reading because every review that I read and every recommendation I got from friends said how fabulous this book was. I read to the end hoping it would get better. I hated it.
I hated the fact that these entitled kids hurt multiple people because they thought it was fun. I hated that the parents were willing to cover it up, even when they discovered it was a pattern. I hated that the father knew he had a mental illness, that had probably been passed on to his son, but he just found it funny. I hated that the one person who wanted to come clean and do the right thing was presented as an egocentric buffoon. Maybe it isn't that I need characters that I like. Maybe it's that I want to know that there is a moral compass out there. This book was filled with psychopaths with no redeeming qualities.
I absolutely cannot recommend it.
I hated the fact that these entitled kids hurt multiple people because they thought it was fun. I hated that the parents were willing to cover it up, even when they discovered it was a pattern. I hated that the father knew he had a mental illness, that had probably been passed on to his son, but he just found it funny. I hated that the one person who wanted to come clean and do the right thing was presented as an egocentric buffoon. Maybe it isn't that I need characters that I like. Maybe it's that I want to know that there is a moral compass out there. This book was filled with psychopaths with no redeeming qualities.
I absolutely cannot recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2022
IL CONTO NON PAGATO
脠 olandese il primo adattamento cinematografico: 鈥滺et diner鈥� di Menno Meyjes, 2013.
Il romanzo ha un suo percorso, ho attraversato fasi diverse leggendolo: ho cominciato detestando abbastanza l鈥檌o narrante, saccente oltre misura, uno di quelli che sembrano misurarsi quotidianamente con dio (forse perch茅, come disse Woody Allen, se devi avere un modello da seguire, perch茅 non scegliere il migliore? 鈥� pi霉 o meno era cos矛, in un film di tanti anni fa, cito a memoria).
Per貌, 猫 difficile superare il meccanismo d鈥檌dentificazione, e quindi, come all鈥檕modiegetico protagonista, mi stava particolarmente antipatico suo fratello, politico di facili sorrisi (come se ne conosce bene anche dalle nostre parti).
Poi, mi sono detto, oh che bello, le due donne ne vengon fuori bene, sono le vere figure positive.
Pi霉 avanti, ho pensato, ma come si permette 'sto qui di parlare in questo modo di un bambino africano adottato, com鈥櫭� che 猫 tanto razzista?
鈥滻 nostri ragazzi鈥� di Ivano De Matteo, 2014, intelligente trasposizione e rilettura del romanzo di Koch. Con Alessandro Gassman, Luigi Lo Cascio, Barbara Bobulova, Giovanna Mezzogiorno.
Andando avanti, non si salva proprio nessuno, n茅 gli uomini, n茅 le donne, n茅 tanto meno i ragazzi: sono tutti mostri.
Viene fuori un quadro abbastanza agghiacciante, senza nulla togliere al divertimento e alla piacevolezza della lettura.
La versione americana, del 2017, 鈥淭he Dinner鈥� di Oren Moverman, con Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan Rebecca Hall.
Perch茅, altra caratteristica di questo libro, 猫 che si legge proprio bene, prende, spinge avanti: c鈥櫭� qualche divagazione di troppo, ma non riduce il gusto.
Iniziare e finire in sole 24 ore 猫 qualcosa che faccio molto di rado.
Probabilmente, pi霉 che le riflessioni, gli eventuali pensieri, rester脿 proprio il godimento della lettura.
Il film italiano 猫 il pi霉 riuscito dei tre.
脠 olandese il primo adattamento cinematografico: 鈥滺et diner鈥� di Menno Meyjes, 2013.
Il romanzo ha un suo percorso, ho attraversato fasi diverse leggendolo: ho cominciato detestando abbastanza l鈥檌o narrante, saccente oltre misura, uno di quelli che sembrano misurarsi quotidianamente con dio (forse perch茅, come disse Woody Allen, se devi avere un modello da seguire, perch茅 non scegliere il migliore? 鈥� pi霉 o meno era cos矛, in un film di tanti anni fa, cito a memoria).
Per貌, 猫 difficile superare il meccanismo d鈥檌dentificazione, e quindi, come all鈥檕modiegetico protagonista, mi stava particolarmente antipatico suo fratello, politico di facili sorrisi (come se ne conosce bene anche dalle nostre parti).
Poi, mi sono detto, oh che bello, le due donne ne vengon fuori bene, sono le vere figure positive.
Pi霉 avanti, ho pensato, ma come si permette 'sto qui di parlare in questo modo di un bambino africano adottato, com鈥櫭� che 猫 tanto razzista?
鈥滻 nostri ragazzi鈥� di Ivano De Matteo, 2014, intelligente trasposizione e rilettura del romanzo di Koch. Con Alessandro Gassman, Luigi Lo Cascio, Barbara Bobulova, Giovanna Mezzogiorno.
Andando avanti, non si salva proprio nessuno, n茅 gli uomini, n茅 le donne, n茅 tanto meno i ragazzi: sono tutti mostri.
Viene fuori un quadro abbastanza agghiacciante, senza nulla togliere al divertimento e alla piacevolezza della lettura.
La versione americana, del 2017, 鈥淭he Dinner鈥� di Oren Moverman, con Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan Rebecca Hall.
Perch茅, altra caratteristica di questo libro, 猫 che si legge proprio bene, prende, spinge avanti: c鈥櫭� qualche divagazione di troppo, ma non riduce il gusto.
Iniziare e finire in sole 24 ore 猫 qualcosa che faccio molto di rado.
Probabilmente, pi霉 che le riflessioni, gli eventuali pensieri, rester脿 proprio il godimento della lettura.
Il film italiano 猫 il pi霉 riuscito dei tre.
August 30, 2016
The Wall Street Journal has tagged The Dinner as 鈥榯he European Gone Girl鈥�. I beg to differ and I think that this book should more appropriately be tagged 鈥榯he European Defending Jacob'...but hey who am I to question The Wall Street Journal! The Dinner tells the story of two families, the parents of which meet each other over dinner one evening in an exclusive restaurant in Amsterdam. At the heart of the story is a horrific crime which both sons within each family hold equal responsibility.
Koch has managed to achieve an attention-grabbing, gripping and intriguing read in this book. It is very well written and translated. I was truly hooked from page one right up until the end. The setting, i.e. the restaurant, works exceptionally well...a setting which we think and imagine will provide intimacy and an appropriate platform for discussion. The setting is an extremely important aspect in this book, because as each course arrives for our diners, our own appetite, hunger and curiosity increase for the unfolding story. Consequently, as each course is served, we are faced with the interruption of the waiter on numerous occasions, explaining the dishes of choice to our four diners. Paul, the narrator of the story becomes increasingly impatient with these interruptions and we the reader do too, not because they are not highly complimentary and a necessary side dish to the story, they are, but they serve to prolong our suspense and anticipation and allow an extremely subtle tension to build . As a result, rather than receive the story in one great dish, we are served it in nibbles and sips, finger-food as such. For me, this was one of the best aspects of the book. This structure really worked superbly. There are no likeable characters in the book and our narrator is totally unreliable, two of my favourite features of a good read. The discussions at the dinner table incorporate a number of themes for debate both for our diners and for us, the reader, and are not only limited to the central crime. The plot in the story really brings to mind certain questions for the reader, how far would we go to protect our children, what actions and decisions would we take or what actions and decisions would we not take, in essence, how far would we go, as parents, to protect the ones we love and cherish? This is indeed dark and gritty but a wonderful and highly entertaining read.
Highly recommended if you like contemporary fiction, most especially books with unreliable narrators. This book is also an ideal choice for Book Clubs, providing most entertaining and interesting discussion and opinion topics. One of my favourite reads of 2013 so far!
Koch has managed to achieve an attention-grabbing, gripping and intriguing read in this book. It is very well written and translated. I was truly hooked from page one right up until the end. The setting, i.e. the restaurant, works exceptionally well...a setting which we think and imagine will provide intimacy and an appropriate platform for discussion. The setting is an extremely important aspect in this book, because as each course arrives for our diners, our own appetite, hunger and curiosity increase for the unfolding story. Consequently, as each course is served, we are faced with the interruption of the waiter on numerous occasions, explaining the dishes of choice to our four diners. Paul, the narrator of the story becomes increasingly impatient with these interruptions and we the reader do too, not because they are not highly complimentary and a necessary side dish to the story, they are, but they serve to prolong our suspense and anticipation and allow an extremely subtle tension to build . As a result, rather than receive the story in one great dish, we are served it in nibbles and sips, finger-food as such. For me, this was one of the best aspects of the book. This structure really worked superbly. There are no likeable characters in the book and our narrator is totally unreliable, two of my favourite features of a good read. The discussions at the dinner table incorporate a number of themes for debate both for our diners and for us, the reader, and are not only limited to the central crime. The plot in the story really brings to mind certain questions for the reader, how far would we go to protect our children, what actions and decisions would we take or what actions and decisions would we not take, in essence, how far would we go, as parents, to protect the ones we love and cherish? This is indeed dark and gritty but a wonderful and highly entertaining read.
Highly recommended if you like contemporary fiction, most especially books with unreliable narrators. This book is also an ideal choice for Book Clubs, providing most entertaining and interesting discussion and opinion topics. One of my favourite reads of 2013 so far!
October 8, 2018
This is a gourmet treat, with a bite.
I have to confess, I don't have a lot of patience with those who dismiss this book simply because of the unlikeable characters. Of course, it goes without saying that anyone's reason for not liking a book is valid. You're allowed to not like the book for this or any other reason. But if you need likeable characters, and a comeuppance for all bad characters, well, frankly, you are in the WRONG SECTION OF THE LIBRARY.
Ahem. Now that I got that out of the way...
The book is clever, created in the framework of a dinner at a fine dining restaurant. The sections of the book follow the courses, from Aperitif all the way to Digestif. It takes place in Amsterdam, in an overpriced, hoity-toity restaurant, with two couples who are there to discuss their misbehaving sons.
The narrator is funny, snarky, and is our tour guide through the evening. Koch uses delightful sleight of hand throughout the book until the final reveal of what's what, and who's who. He turns the reader into a voyeuristic snoop - I mean, don't we all thrill a little when watching a nasty scene erupt at someone else's table? No? Just me?
There are a few weaknesses here, worth mentioning. I found it a little hard to believe that the couples would decide to discuss their sons in a public place, given the 'delicate' subject matter. Also, there are biological explanations given for bad behaviour that I didn't 100% buy. (Later, I came to realise that the "syndrome" described in the book is a metaphor for pathological entitlement which gets passed down from parent to child by a lifetime of examples.) But Koch's writing was strong enough to make me take a morsel, and then another, and before I knew it, I'd finished all courses a pretty happy customer.
Many compare this to Gone Girl. From where I sit, this book borrows more from Crime and Punishment - shining a light on the moral elitism of those who believe they can decide that some lives are worth more than others. The entitlement of some people to do as they please, regardless of the consequences. Those who respond with a frightening smile or laugh in the face of a ghastly deed done to someone who "deserved it". And, even more chilling, enabling the next generation to be this way.
It's dark and it's awful, but it didn't take my appetite away... I'm sure to read more by Herman Koch.
I have to confess, I don't have a lot of patience with those who dismiss this book simply because of the unlikeable characters. Of course, it goes without saying that anyone's reason for not liking a book is valid. You're allowed to not like the book for this or any other reason. But if you need likeable characters, and a comeuppance for all bad characters, well, frankly, you are in the WRONG SECTION OF THE LIBRARY.
Ahem. Now that I got that out of the way...
The book is clever, created in the framework of a dinner at a fine dining restaurant. The sections of the book follow the courses, from Aperitif all the way to Digestif. It takes place in Amsterdam, in an overpriced, hoity-toity restaurant, with two couples who are there to discuss their misbehaving sons.
The narrator is funny, snarky, and is our tour guide through the evening. Koch uses delightful sleight of hand throughout the book until the final reveal of what's what, and who's who. He turns the reader into a voyeuristic snoop - I mean, don't we all thrill a little when watching a nasty scene erupt at someone else's table? No? Just me?
There are a few weaknesses here, worth mentioning. I found it a little hard to believe that the couples would decide to discuss their sons in a public place, given the 'delicate' subject matter. Also, there are biological explanations given for bad behaviour that I didn't 100% buy. (Later, I came to realise that the "syndrome" described in the book is a metaphor for pathological entitlement which gets passed down from parent to child by a lifetime of examples.) But Koch's writing was strong enough to make me take a morsel, and then another, and before I knew it, I'd finished all courses a pretty happy customer.
Many compare this to Gone Girl. From where I sit, this book borrows more from Crime and Punishment - shining a light on the moral elitism of those who believe they can decide that some lives are worth more than others. The entitlement of some people to do as they please, regardless of the consequences. Those who respond with a frightening smile or laugh in the face of a ghastly deed done to someone who "deserved it". And, even more chilling, enabling the next generation to be this way.
It's dark and it's awful, but it didn't take my appetite away... I'm sure to read more by Herman Koch.
June 7, 2018
This is a book that polarises opinion.
In some respects it could be viewed as being provocative, voyeuristic and dark; in other ways it could be seen as being unpleasant and incredibly dull.
I, for instance, love the movie Lost in Translation and consider it to be a masterpiece. My wife, on the other hand, finds it ponderous and aimless.
As an inveterate people watcher, I love witnessing families having bust-ups in restaurants and other public places, as long as I'm not anywhere near them.
I also watch cringeworthy social gaffes on TV through my fingers, all the while groaning with embarrassment, yet continuing to gawp.
So, if (like me) you love to eavesdrop while fragile relationships unravel in restaurants, then this might be your thing.
If you prefer your main characters to all be agreeable and charming, then this definitely won't suit!
In some respects it could be viewed as being provocative, voyeuristic and dark; in other ways it could be seen as being unpleasant and incredibly dull.
I, for instance, love the movie Lost in Translation and consider it to be a masterpiece. My wife, on the other hand, finds it ponderous and aimless.
As an inveterate people watcher, I love witnessing families having bust-ups in restaurants and other public places, as long as I'm not anywhere near them.
I also watch cringeworthy social gaffes on TV through my fingers, all the while groaning with embarrassment, yet continuing to gawp.
So, if (like me) you love to eavesdrop while fragile relationships unravel in restaurants, then this might be your thing.
If you prefer your main characters to all be agreeable and charming, then this definitely won't suit!
April 10, 2017
what a vile little book.
April 2, 2022
The Dinner, Herman Koch
The story is narrated by Paul Lohman, a former history teacher. He and his wife Claire meet at a fancy restaurant in Amsterdam with his elder brother Serge, a prominent politician and contender for the position of Dutch prime minister, and his wife Babette. The plan is to discuss over dinner how to handle a crime committed by their teenage sons, Michel and Rick, respectively. The violent act of the two boys had been filmed by a security camera and shown on TV, but, so far, they have not been identified. The parents have to decide on what to do. They debate over dinner causing tension throughout the evening. ...
鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 乇賵夭 亘蹖爻鬲 賵 賴賮鬲賲 賲丕賴 丕讴鬲亘乇 爻丕賱2018賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 卮丕賲 賲禺氐賵氐貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 賴乇賲丕賳 讴禺貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 賲賴乇賳賵卮 诏賱卮丕賴蹖鈥屬佖必� 賵蹖乇丕蹖卮: 賲乇蹖賲 爻毓蹖丿蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳 爻鬲丕讴鈥忊€� 爻丕賱1396貨 丿乇284氐貨 卮丕亘讴9786009641864貨 趩丕倬 丿蹖诏乇 爻丕賱1397貨 丿乇295氐貨 賲賵囟賵毓: 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 賴賱賳丿 - 爻丿賴21賲
賮賴乇爻鬲: 芦賳賵卮蹖丿賳蹖 賯亘賱 丕夭 睾匕丕禄貨 芦睾匕丕蹖 丕氐賱蹖禄貨 芦賳賵卮蹖丿賳蹖 亘毓丿 丕夭 睾匕丕禄貨 芦丕賳毓丕賲禄貨
丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕夭 丌賳噩丕蹖蹖 丌睾丕夭 賲蹖卮賵丿貙 讴賴 丿乇 蹖讴 毓氐乇 鬲丕亘爻鬲丕賳 丿賵 亘乇丕丿乇貙 亘賴 賴賲乇丕賴 賴賲爻乇丕賳 禺賵蹖卮貙 亘乇 爻乇 賲蹖夭 卮丕賲蹖 亘賳卮爻鬲賴鈥� 丕賳丿貙 賵 丿乇 鬲賱丕卮 賴爻鬲賳丿 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 賲賴賲鈥屫臂屬� 鬲氐賲蹖賲丕鬲 夭賳丿诏蹖 禺賵丿 乇丕 亘诏蹖乇賳丿貙 丕蹖賳 趩賴丕乇 鬲賳 丿乇亘丕乇賴鈥� 蹖 賵丕賯毓蹖鬲蹖貙 讴賴 匕賴賳 丌賳鈥屬囏� 乇丕 亘賴 禺賵丿 丿乇诏蹖乇 讴乇丿賴貙 诏賮鬲诏賵 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁嗀�
賳賯賱 賳賲賵賳賴 賲鬲賳: (蹖讴卮賳亘賴 亘毓丿 丕夭 馗賴乇貙 倬賳噩 乇賵夭 亘毓丿 丕夭 卮乇賵毓 丕孬乇 丿丕乇賵賴丕貙 乇賵蹖 賲亘賱 爻丕賱賳 禺丕賳賴 丿乇丕夭 讴卮蹖丿賴 亘賵丿賲貙 賵 乇賵夭賳丕賲賴 賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗀呚� 丕夭 丿乇 卮蹖卮賴鈥� 丕蹖 讴賴 亘賴 丨蹖丕胤 亘丕夭 賲蹖鈥屫簇� 賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗀池� 亘亘蹖賳賲 讴賴 亘丕乇丕賳 卮乇賵毓 亘賴 亘丕乇蹖丿賳 讴乇丿賴鈥� 丕爻鬲貨 丌爻賲丕賳 丌賳 乇賵夭 丌亘蹖 亘丕 丕亘乇賴丕蹖 爻賮蹖丿 賱讴賴鈥� 丕蹖 亘賵丿貨 亘丕蹖丿 亘诏賵蹖賲 讴賴 丕蹖賳 丕賵丕禺乇 丕夭 丕蹖賳讴賴 丿乇 禺丕賳賴鈥� 蹖 禺賵丿賲貙 丿乇 爻丕賱賳貙 乇賵蹖 賲亘賱 賳卮爻鬲賴 亘丕卮賲 鬲乇爻 亘乇賲 賲蹖鈥屫ж簇� 鬲乇爻賲 賳丕卮蹖 丕夭 丨爻蹖 亘賵丿貙 讴賴 賳爻亘鬲 亘賴 丕賮乇丕丿 丿蹖诏乇 丿乇 卮乇丕蹖胤 賲卮丕亘賴 亘賴 禺賵丿賲 丿丕卮鬲賲貨 丕蹖賳讴賴 氐丿賴丕 賳賮乇 丿蹖诏乇 賲孬賱 賲賳 丿乇 禺丕賳賴鈥� 卮丕賳 乇賵蹖 賲亘賱 丿乇丕夭 讴卮蹖丿賴鈥� 丕賳丿貨 亘蹖卮鬲乇 賵賯鬲鈥屬囏� 丿乇 鬲丕乇蹖讴蹖 亘賴 丕蹖賳 賮讴乇 賲蹖鈥屭┴必呚� 讴賴 丨丕賱丕 讴賴 賴賲賴鈥� 蹖 丌丿賲鈥屬囏� 丿乇 禺丕賳賴鈥� 卮丕賳 賴爻鬲賳丿貙 趩賴 丕鬲賮丕賯蹖 賲蹖鈥屫з佖� 丕夭 噩丕蹖蹖讴賴 乇賵蹖 賲亘賱 丿乇丕夭 讴卮蹖丿賴 亘賵丿賲貙 賳賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗀池� 讴爻蹖 鈥屫必� 亘亘蹖賳賲貙 趩賵賳 亘賵鬲賴鈥� 賴丕蹖 爻亘夭蹖 噩賱賵蹖 倬賳噩乇賴 亘賵丿賳丿貨 賵賱蹖 賴賲蹖賳 丨爻蹖 讴賴 倬卮鬲 丕蹖賳 亘賵鬲賴鈥� 賴丕貙 禺丕賳賴鈥� 賴丕蹖 丿蹖诏乇蹖 亘賵丿賳丿貙 賵 倬卮鬲 倬賳噩乇賴鈥� 賴丕蹖 丿蹖诏乇 賴賲 丌丿賲鈥屬囏й屰� 賲孬賱 賲賳 丿乇丕夭 讴卮蹖丿賴鈥� 丕賳丿貙 賵 蹖丕 賳卮爻鬲賴鈥� 丕賳丿貙 丨爻 禺賮賯丕賳 禺丕氐蹖 乇丕 亘賴 賲賳 賲賳鬲賯賱 賲蹖鈥屭┴必� 亘丕蹖丿 亘诏賵蹖賲 丕夭 賲乇丿賲 賵 蹖丕 亘賴鬲乇 亘诏賵蹖賲 丌丿賲鈥屬囏� 鬲乇爻 賳丿丕卮鬲賲貨 丕夭 丿丕卮鬲賳 卮乇丕蹖胤 賲卮丕亘賴 賴乇丕爻 丿丕卮鬲賲貨 丕夭 鬲讴乇丕乇 賵囟毓蹖鬲 賴賲丕賳賳丿賲丕賳 賲蹖鈥屫必驰屫呚� 亘賴 賴乇 氐賵乇鬲 賯亘賱 丕夭 丕爻鬲賮丕丿賴 丕夭 丕蹖賳 丿丕乇賵賴丕貙 丌丿賲蹖 賳亘賵丿賲 讴賴 亘禺賵丕賴賲 丿乇 噩卮賳鈥屬囏ж� 賵 蹖丕 丿賵乇賴賲蹖鈥屬囏й� 丿賵爻鬲丕賳賴貙 禺賵丿賳賲丕蹖蹖 亘讴賳賲貙 賵 蹖丕 賲噩賱爻 乇丕 亘丕 禺賵卮 氐丨亘鬲蹖賲 亘趩乇禺丕賳賲貨 亘蹖卮鬲乇 卮亘蹖賴 讴爻蹖 亘賵丿賲 讴賴 丿賱卮 賲蹖鈥屫堌з囏� 诏賵卮賴鈥� 诏蹖乇蹖 亘讴賳丿貙 噩丕蹖蹖 亘賳卮蹖賳丿 賵 亘丕 讴爻蹖 丨乇賮 賳夭賳丿貨 亘丕蹖丿 亘诏賵蹖賲 丕蹖賳噩賵乇蹖 賲鬲賮丕賵鬲 亘賵丿賲.)貨 倬丕蹖丕賳 賳賯賱
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 01/03/1400賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 12/01/1401賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
The story is narrated by Paul Lohman, a former history teacher. He and his wife Claire meet at a fancy restaurant in Amsterdam with his elder brother Serge, a prominent politician and contender for the position of Dutch prime minister, and his wife Babette. The plan is to discuss over dinner how to handle a crime committed by their teenage sons, Michel and Rick, respectively. The violent act of the two boys had been filmed by a security camera and shown on TV, but, so far, they have not been identified. The parents have to decide on what to do. They debate over dinner causing tension throughout the evening. ...
鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 乇賵夭 亘蹖爻鬲 賵 賴賮鬲賲 賲丕賴 丕讴鬲亘乇 爻丕賱2018賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 卮丕賲 賲禺氐賵氐貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 賴乇賲丕賳 讴禺貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 賲賴乇賳賵卮 诏賱卮丕賴蹖鈥屬佖必� 賵蹖乇丕蹖卮: 賲乇蹖賲 爻毓蹖丿蹖貨 鬲賴乇丕賳 爻鬲丕讴鈥忊€� 爻丕賱1396貨 丿乇284氐貨 卮丕亘讴9786009641864貨 趩丕倬 丿蹖诏乇 爻丕賱1397貨 丿乇295氐貨 賲賵囟賵毓: 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 賴賱賳丿 - 爻丿賴21賲
賮賴乇爻鬲: 芦賳賵卮蹖丿賳蹖 賯亘賱 丕夭 睾匕丕禄貨 芦睾匕丕蹖 丕氐賱蹖禄貨 芦賳賵卮蹖丿賳蹖 亘毓丿 丕夭 睾匕丕禄貨 芦丕賳毓丕賲禄貨
丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕夭 丌賳噩丕蹖蹖 丌睾丕夭 賲蹖卮賵丿貙 讴賴 丿乇 蹖讴 毓氐乇 鬲丕亘爻鬲丕賳 丿賵 亘乇丕丿乇貙 亘賴 賴賲乇丕賴 賴賲爻乇丕賳 禺賵蹖卮貙 亘乇 爻乇 賲蹖夭 卮丕賲蹖 亘賳卮爻鬲賴鈥� 丕賳丿貙 賵 丿乇 鬲賱丕卮 賴爻鬲賳丿 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 賲賴賲鈥屫臂屬� 鬲氐賲蹖賲丕鬲 夭賳丿诏蹖 禺賵丿 乇丕 亘诏蹖乇賳丿貙 丕蹖賳 趩賴丕乇 鬲賳 丿乇亘丕乇賴鈥� 蹖 賵丕賯毓蹖鬲蹖貙 讴賴 匕賴賳 丌賳鈥屬囏� 乇丕 亘賴 禺賵丿 丿乇诏蹖乇 讴乇丿賴貙 诏賮鬲诏賵 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁嗀�
賳賯賱 賳賲賵賳賴 賲鬲賳: (蹖讴卮賳亘賴 亘毓丿 丕夭 馗賴乇貙 倬賳噩 乇賵夭 亘毓丿 丕夭 卮乇賵毓 丕孬乇 丿丕乇賵賴丕貙 乇賵蹖 賲亘賱 爻丕賱賳 禺丕賳賴 丿乇丕夭 讴卮蹖丿賴 亘賵丿賲貙 賵 乇賵夭賳丕賲賴 賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗀呚� 丕夭 丿乇 卮蹖卮賴鈥� 丕蹖 讴賴 亘賴 丨蹖丕胤 亘丕夭 賲蹖鈥屫簇� 賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗀池� 亘亘蹖賳賲 讴賴 亘丕乇丕賳 卮乇賵毓 亘賴 亘丕乇蹖丿賳 讴乇丿賴鈥� 丕爻鬲貨 丌爻賲丕賳 丌賳 乇賵夭 丌亘蹖 亘丕 丕亘乇賴丕蹖 爻賮蹖丿 賱讴賴鈥� 丕蹖 亘賵丿貨 亘丕蹖丿 亘诏賵蹖賲 讴賴 丕蹖賳 丕賵丕禺乇 丕夭 丕蹖賳讴賴 丿乇 禺丕賳賴鈥� 蹖 禺賵丿賲貙 丿乇 爻丕賱賳貙 乇賵蹖 賲亘賱 賳卮爻鬲賴 亘丕卮賲 鬲乇爻 亘乇賲 賲蹖鈥屫ж簇� 鬲乇爻賲 賳丕卮蹖 丕夭 丨爻蹖 亘賵丿貙 讴賴 賳爻亘鬲 亘賴 丕賮乇丕丿 丿蹖诏乇 丿乇 卮乇丕蹖胤 賲卮丕亘賴 亘賴 禺賵丿賲 丿丕卮鬲賲貨 丕蹖賳讴賴 氐丿賴丕 賳賮乇 丿蹖诏乇 賲孬賱 賲賳 丿乇 禺丕賳賴鈥� 卮丕賳 乇賵蹖 賲亘賱 丿乇丕夭 讴卮蹖丿賴鈥� 丕賳丿貨 亘蹖卮鬲乇 賵賯鬲鈥屬囏� 丿乇 鬲丕乇蹖讴蹖 亘賴 丕蹖賳 賮讴乇 賲蹖鈥屭┴必呚� 讴賴 丨丕賱丕 讴賴 賴賲賴鈥� 蹖 丌丿賲鈥屬囏� 丿乇 禺丕賳賴鈥� 卮丕賳 賴爻鬲賳丿貙 趩賴 丕鬲賮丕賯蹖 賲蹖鈥屫з佖� 丕夭 噩丕蹖蹖讴賴 乇賵蹖 賲亘賱 丿乇丕夭 讴卮蹖丿賴 亘賵丿賲貙 賳賲蹖鈥屫堌з嗀池� 讴爻蹖 鈥屫必� 亘亘蹖賳賲貙 趩賵賳 亘賵鬲賴鈥� 賴丕蹖 爻亘夭蹖 噩賱賵蹖 倬賳噩乇賴 亘賵丿賳丿貨 賵賱蹖 賴賲蹖賳 丨爻蹖 讴賴 倬卮鬲 丕蹖賳 亘賵鬲賴鈥� 賴丕貙 禺丕賳賴鈥� 賴丕蹖 丿蹖诏乇蹖 亘賵丿賳丿貙 賵 倬卮鬲 倬賳噩乇賴鈥� 賴丕蹖 丿蹖诏乇 賴賲 丌丿賲鈥屬囏й屰� 賲孬賱 賲賳 丿乇丕夭 讴卮蹖丿賴鈥� 丕賳丿貙 賵 蹖丕 賳卮爻鬲賴鈥� 丕賳丿貙 丨爻 禺賮賯丕賳 禺丕氐蹖 乇丕 亘賴 賲賳 賲賳鬲賯賱 賲蹖鈥屭┴必� 亘丕蹖丿 亘诏賵蹖賲 丕夭 賲乇丿賲 賵 蹖丕 亘賴鬲乇 亘诏賵蹖賲 丌丿賲鈥屬囏� 鬲乇爻 賳丿丕卮鬲賲貨 丕夭 丿丕卮鬲賳 卮乇丕蹖胤 賲卮丕亘賴 賴乇丕爻 丿丕卮鬲賲貨 丕夭 鬲讴乇丕乇 賵囟毓蹖鬲 賴賲丕賳賳丿賲丕賳 賲蹖鈥屫必驰屫呚� 亘賴 賴乇 氐賵乇鬲 賯亘賱 丕夭 丕爻鬲賮丕丿賴 丕夭 丕蹖賳 丿丕乇賵賴丕貙 丌丿賲蹖 賳亘賵丿賲 讴賴 亘禺賵丕賴賲 丿乇 噩卮賳鈥屬囏ж� 賵 蹖丕 丿賵乇賴賲蹖鈥屬囏й� 丿賵爻鬲丕賳賴貙 禺賵丿賳賲丕蹖蹖 亘讴賳賲貙 賵 蹖丕 賲噩賱爻 乇丕 亘丕 禺賵卮 氐丨亘鬲蹖賲 亘趩乇禺丕賳賲貨 亘蹖卮鬲乇 卮亘蹖賴 讴爻蹖 亘賵丿賲 讴賴 丿賱卮 賲蹖鈥屫堌з囏� 诏賵卮賴鈥� 诏蹖乇蹖 亘讴賳丿貙 噩丕蹖蹖 亘賳卮蹖賳丿 賵 亘丕 讴爻蹖 丨乇賮 賳夭賳丿貨 亘丕蹖丿 亘诏賵蹖賲 丕蹖賳噩賵乇蹖 賲鬲賮丕賵鬲 亘賵丿賲.)貨 倬丕蹖丕賳 賳賯賱
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 01/03/1400賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 12/01/1401賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
March 29, 2016
I thought about one of my favorite scenes from STRAW DOGS. What would this artificial voice sound like if its owner were to be dragged into a barn by a pair of French bricklayers? So drunk they could no longer tell the difference between a woman and the ruins of a cottage with only the walls still standing? Would she still be shooting off her mouth...
The sequel to GONE GIRL. Two white, rich, soulless, violent sociopaths have a child and that child is growing up to become a soulless, violent sociopath as well.
You get the idea that something is wrong with our narrator, Paul, early on. He loves the movies DELIVERANCE and STRAW DOGS and he often fantasizes about punching people and killing them.
It's only later that you realize that he has put multiple people in the hospital.
And it's not until very close to the end of the novel that you realize his wife is just as bad as he is. Until then you have a hope or a sympathy that perhaps she is a good person.
The son they create is exactly the kind of son you'd think would be created by the union of and then raising by two monsters. The kind of rich kid who sets a homeless woman on fire and thinks it's funny and is actually a favor to society.
I can't say this book is very fun to read.
"Mr. Lohman," he said. Then I punched him squarely in the nose. Right away there was blood, lots of blood: it sprayed from his nostrils and splattered across his shirt and the desktop, and then on the fingers with which he pawed at his nose.
By that time I had come around the desk and hit him in the face again, lower down this time. His teeth hurt my knuckles as they broke off. He screamed.
I know GONE GIRL shocked and titillated the world by putting two horrible protagonists in the book, and that was fine. But now I feel like this is not only old hat, but rather painful to read. There's no resolution. No one gets their comeuppance or punishment. Good people are murdered and maimed and the soulless go on with their existence, happy and rich and complete. THE END. Does this satisfy anyone? It might be fun in a shocking way if it's the first book of this kind you've ever read, but if you've read GONE GIRL then this is going to be more of the same for you.
It's realistic.
I'm laughing at how many people defend this kind of novel by saying, "Well, it's realistic." or "That's just how life is." Evil people do evil things and get away with them, feel no remorse and are never caught or punished. Great, fine. It's realistic. That's not why I read fiction, emphasis on 'fiction.' I certainly don't need everything neat and tidy, but if you expect me to be happy with this kind of novel, you are wrong.
What I feel when I shut this book is despair, disappointment, and apathy. That's NOT the way I want a book to make me feel. I am very disinterested in this burgeoning subgenre called "sick fucks kill and hurt people, then live happy and long lives being sick fucks and raising other sick fucks." That's not appealing to me on any level.
Tl;dr - Did you love GG and hope another book would be JUST LIKE THIS?!!?! Here's your fix. However, if you are tired and annoyed of MCs with no shred of humanity, not even the tiniest shred - stay far away from this, which seems like a tired re-hash of ideas already hashed.
P.S. Also, this book purports that being a soulless sick fuck is an inherited genetic trait. And that you can sense this disease - be tested for it when you are in utero, amniotic fluid test - and if your fetus has this disease you should abort it. It's strongly hinted in the book that Koch's talking about Asperger's. What a bunch of shit. All of this is shit. What is this, , where some people are born soulless, and just "Oh, well." Nurture has nothing to do with it, I mean, you're either born a sick fuck or someone with normal feelings. AND ANOTHER THING. People with Asperger's are fine. What is this author implying? If you are on the autism spectrum or not neurotypical that you are a murdering asshole who maims and kills people when things don't go your way?
I wish this whole "I have a disorder, we should have aborted my now-15-year-old-son in the womb because people with this neurological disorder are soulless and will probably become serial killers" was left out. I mean, what the fuck, dude? If you just realized the dad (the main character) was fucked up, and then got to toy around with the idea in your mind like, "Nature or nurture? Is his son soulless because he inherited his dad's no-soul gene, or did growing up with a dad who literally bashed people's faces into a bloody pulp when they got in his way make his child think such behavior was acceptable?" this would be more palatable to me. But no, Koch has to make Paul (the MC dad) go to a psychologist who informs him that if they had had in-utero testing 30 or 40 years ago, Paul himself would've been aborted. Because being a soulless killer is an "illness" that can be detected in the womb and preemptively stopped.
Fuck this shit. Koch comes off as an ableist jerk here, demonizing autism and Asperger's and thinking he can get away with it because he doesn't say "the A-word," as my friend calls it.
This book is really angering me on many levels. Isn't it difficult enough to navigate a neurotypical world without having people write books about autistic killers who go around murdering people? I'm very angry.
P.P.S. People keep saying "This book is about the lengths you'll go to protect your family" and to me that is not what this book was about, AT ALL. I guess every reader does read a different book.
RELATED BOOKS:
The sequel to GONE GIRL. Two white, rich, soulless, violent sociopaths have a child and that child is growing up to become a soulless, violent sociopath as well.
You get the idea that something is wrong with our narrator, Paul, early on. He loves the movies DELIVERANCE and STRAW DOGS and he often fantasizes about punching people and killing them.
It's only later that you realize that he has put multiple people in the hospital.
And it's not until very close to the end of the novel that you realize his wife is just as bad as he is. Until then you have a hope or a sympathy that perhaps she is a good person.
The son they create is exactly the kind of son you'd think would be created by the union of and then raising by two monsters. The kind of rich kid who sets a homeless woman on fire and thinks it's funny and is actually a favor to society.
I can't say this book is very fun to read.
"Mr. Lohman," he said. Then I punched him squarely in the nose. Right away there was blood, lots of blood: it sprayed from his nostrils and splattered across his shirt and the desktop, and then on the fingers with which he pawed at his nose.
By that time I had come around the desk and hit him in the face again, lower down this time. His teeth hurt my knuckles as they broke off. He screamed.
I know GONE GIRL shocked and titillated the world by putting two horrible protagonists in the book, and that was fine. But now I feel like this is not only old hat, but rather painful to read. There's no resolution. No one gets their comeuppance or punishment. Good people are murdered and maimed and the soulless go on with their existence, happy and rich and complete. THE END. Does this satisfy anyone? It might be fun in a shocking way if it's the first book of this kind you've ever read, but if you've read GONE GIRL then this is going to be more of the same for you.
It's realistic.
I'm laughing at how many people defend this kind of novel by saying, "Well, it's realistic." or "That's just how life is." Evil people do evil things and get away with them, feel no remorse and are never caught or punished. Great, fine. It's realistic. That's not why I read fiction, emphasis on 'fiction.' I certainly don't need everything neat and tidy, but if you expect me to be happy with this kind of novel, you are wrong.
What I feel when I shut this book is despair, disappointment, and apathy. That's NOT the way I want a book to make me feel. I am very disinterested in this burgeoning subgenre called "sick fucks kill and hurt people, then live happy and long lives being sick fucks and raising other sick fucks." That's not appealing to me on any level.
Tl;dr - Did you love GG and hope another book would be JUST LIKE THIS?!!?! Here's your fix. However, if you are tired and annoyed of MCs with no shred of humanity, not even the tiniest shred - stay far away from this, which seems like a tired re-hash of ideas already hashed.
P.S. Also, this book purports that being a soulless sick fuck is an inherited genetic trait. And that you can sense this disease - be tested for it when you are in utero, amniotic fluid test - and if your fetus has this disease you should abort it. It's strongly hinted in the book that Koch's talking about Asperger's. What a bunch of shit. All of this is shit. What is this, , where some people are born soulless, and just "Oh, well." Nurture has nothing to do with it, I mean, you're either born a sick fuck or someone with normal feelings. AND ANOTHER THING. People with Asperger's are fine. What is this author implying? If you are on the autism spectrum or not neurotypical that you are a murdering asshole who maims and kills people when things don't go your way?
I wish this whole "I have a disorder, we should have aborted my now-15-year-old-son in the womb because people with this neurological disorder are soulless and will probably become serial killers" was left out. I mean, what the fuck, dude? If you just realized the dad (the main character) was fucked up, and then got to toy around with the idea in your mind like, "Nature or nurture? Is his son soulless because he inherited his dad's no-soul gene, or did growing up with a dad who literally bashed people's faces into a bloody pulp when they got in his way make his child think such behavior was acceptable?" this would be more palatable to me. But no, Koch has to make Paul (the MC dad) go to a psychologist who informs him that if they had had in-utero testing 30 or 40 years ago, Paul himself would've been aborted. Because being a soulless killer is an "illness" that can be detected in the womb and preemptively stopped.
Fuck this shit. Koch comes off as an ableist jerk here, demonizing autism and Asperger's and thinking he can get away with it because he doesn't say "the A-word," as my friend calls it.
This book is really angering me on many levels. Isn't it difficult enough to navigate a neurotypical world without having people write books about autistic killers who go around murdering people? I'm very angry.
P.P.S. People keep saying "This book is about the lengths you'll go to protect your family" and to me that is not what this book was about, AT ALL. I guess every reader does read a different book.
RELATED BOOKS:
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
January 12, 2020Edit :: added spoiler alert per GR member request.
May 20, 2018
Update :
I got the dvd of the movie of this book, and just as I was about to play it I said to myself hold on, I already watched this movie; and then I wasn't sure - had I already seen it or not? What a puzzle! but then myself answered back and said that the only way to find out was to watch it, so I did and I hadn't seen the movie at all.
But the book had instilled such strong scenes and dialogues within the portals of my brain that I thought I had.
I think that deserves another half star. And I do recommend the dvd, a very bitter affair, less hideously funny than the book, and arguably better. Except for Steve Cogan pretending to be an American - I don't know why they do that. It's like Dr Johnson's dog walking on two legs.
**
Original review :
They say, do they not, that The Dinner is the European Gone Girl. Mais non! I say. I threw GG at the wall after around page 100 with some force, but I finished The Dinner with a distinct smacking of the chops and dabbing of the napkin, so that鈥檚 a big difference. Both books are about extremely irritating people, it must be admitted. But the plot swerves in GG are more than a little ridiculous and there for the standard lo-cal thriller effect, whereas I thought the disturbed and frankly nasty personalities on display here were just this side of plausible and therefore gave me a frisson, which sounds like something you could eat but isn鈥檛.
It鈥檚 hard to discuss the plot. You know it鈥檚 all about one single dinner in a very posh restaurant so the whole book is one evening from around 8 to around 1 am but with copious flashbacks. The ultra-sophistication of the restaurant brought me out in a cold sweat all by itself, with the ma卯tre d鈥� hovering by each dish and explaining what is on the plate 鈥� 鈥淭he goat鈥檚 cheese comes from the Rarata-Monteoru region of Romania. It is an organic farm established by monks in 1459. Each goat has a nominated chef to attend its dietary needs etc etc鈥�. So all that is quite amusing.
It is two brothers and their wives who are eating this dinner. Or actually pecking at it then jumping up and rushing outside to make a mysterious phone call. Gradually the ghastly family secrets are unveiled. Each brother has a 15 year old son and the two of them have been spoiler-oiler which is enough to put a person off his escargots. It turns out that the brother who is narrating is spoiler-spoil so you just don鈥檛 know what a guy like that will do. So very spoilerish things have happened and indeed will happen. And I cannot say any more than that.
I rattled through this and as I did the movie was already forming in my brain. I see fluid camerawork swirling round and round the table and many revolting close-ups of the fancy grub. IMDB says it will be out next year starring Richard Gere, Laura Linney and Steve Coogan. What? Steve Coogan? Is there time to change that?
Three stars. Kind of sort of slightly recommended. Haute cuisine is what they eat in this novel but The Dinner is strictly burger and fries.
I got the dvd of the movie of this book, and just as I was about to play it I said to myself hold on, I already watched this movie; and then I wasn't sure - had I already seen it or not? What a puzzle! but then myself answered back and said that the only way to find out was to watch it, so I did and I hadn't seen the movie at all.
But the book had instilled such strong scenes and dialogues within the portals of my brain that I thought I had.
I think that deserves another half star. And I do recommend the dvd, a very bitter affair, less hideously funny than the book, and arguably better. Except for Steve Cogan pretending to be an American - I don't know why they do that. It's like Dr Johnson's dog walking on two legs.
**
Original review :
They say, do they not, that The Dinner is the European Gone Girl. Mais non! I say. I threw GG at the wall after around page 100 with some force, but I finished The Dinner with a distinct smacking of the chops and dabbing of the napkin, so that鈥檚 a big difference. Both books are about extremely irritating people, it must be admitted. But the plot swerves in GG are more than a little ridiculous and there for the standard lo-cal thriller effect, whereas I thought the disturbed and frankly nasty personalities on display here were just this side of plausible and therefore gave me a frisson, which sounds like something you could eat but isn鈥檛.
It鈥檚 hard to discuss the plot. You know it鈥檚 all about one single dinner in a very posh restaurant so the whole book is one evening from around 8 to around 1 am but with copious flashbacks. The ultra-sophistication of the restaurant brought me out in a cold sweat all by itself, with the ma卯tre d鈥� hovering by each dish and explaining what is on the plate 鈥� 鈥淭he goat鈥檚 cheese comes from the Rarata-Monteoru region of Romania. It is an organic farm established by monks in 1459. Each goat has a nominated chef to attend its dietary needs etc etc鈥�. So all that is quite amusing.
It is two brothers and their wives who are eating this dinner. Or actually pecking at it then jumping up and rushing outside to make a mysterious phone call. Gradually the ghastly family secrets are unveiled. Each brother has a 15 year old son and the two of them have been spoiler-oiler which is enough to put a person off his escargots. It turns out that the brother who is narrating is spoiler-spoil so you just don鈥檛 know what a guy like that will do. So very spoilerish things have happened and indeed will happen. And I cannot say any more than that.
I rattled through this and as I did the movie was already forming in my brain. I see fluid camerawork swirling round and round the table and many revolting close-ups of the fancy grub. IMDB says it will be out next year starring Richard Gere, Laura Linney and Steve Coogan. What? Steve Coogan? Is there time to change that?
Three stars. Kind of sort of slightly recommended. Haute cuisine is what they eat in this novel but The Dinner is strictly burger and fries.
August 18, 2016
Wow! What a fun dinner experience that was!
Everything was going so well during drinks and appetizers. Just a nice meal in a super fancy restaurant. Luckily, Serge knew people since he was a politician and all, maybe even the next prime minister! The first third of the book was just that... appetizers, whetting my appetite for the delicious main course. Pages and pages of beautiful descriptions, subtle humor, not so subtle humor, and casual conversation. The whole book could have stayed right there and I wouldn't have minded at all.
But, ohhh what happened.... We gotta talk about the children. And that's when the main course got really, really dark and you got to know everyone a little too well, more details than you ever wanted to know, stories of the past that shouldn't really be unearthed. Not here, not at dinner.
People will say, "Ugh, I didn't like any of the characters. They were all so awful. Boo hoo hoo." I didn't like any of these people either. I was never rooting for anyone. I don't think that's the point of the book. Yeah, it seems absurd that these parents had to make what we may see as easy decisions, right? But, man, we're not running for prime minister, and aren't we all selfish at our core anyway? Doesn't this maybe point out that we're probably always going to look out for ourselves, and isn't that worse? How different am I from these people? Ahhhh!!
I loved the twists and turns of the novel, diving into Paul's past and his relationship with his brother. It didn't turn these people into anti-heroes or make me feel for them, but it made them three dimensional even if they were still pretty awful. The way this book took a sharp turn and didn't lay off the brakes from there was fantastic. I didn't think there was a moment wasted, and I loved each section of the meal. I would even argue that it ended a little too abruptly after the slow climb to get there. I would have liked a few more pages, maybe an epilogue or something. I don't know.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I knocked out most of it in a day. I would definitely recommend it for something a little darker, but please, for the love of God...
Don't compare this to Gone Girl.
Everything was going so well during drinks and appetizers. Just a nice meal in a super fancy restaurant. Luckily, Serge knew people since he was a politician and all, maybe even the next prime minister! The first third of the book was just that... appetizers, whetting my appetite for the delicious main course. Pages and pages of beautiful descriptions, subtle humor, not so subtle humor, and casual conversation. The whole book could have stayed right there and I wouldn't have minded at all.
But, ohhh what happened.... We gotta talk about the children. And that's when the main course got really, really dark and you got to know everyone a little too well, more details than you ever wanted to know, stories of the past that shouldn't really be unearthed. Not here, not at dinner.
People will say, "Ugh, I didn't like any of the characters. They were all so awful. Boo hoo hoo." I didn't like any of these people either. I was never rooting for anyone. I don't think that's the point of the book. Yeah, it seems absurd that these parents had to make what we may see as easy decisions, right? But, man, we're not running for prime minister, and aren't we all selfish at our core anyway? Doesn't this maybe point out that we're probably always going to look out for ourselves, and isn't that worse? How different am I from these people? Ahhhh!!
I loved the twists and turns of the novel, diving into Paul's past and his relationship with his brother. It didn't turn these people into anti-heroes or make me feel for them, but it made them three dimensional even if they were still pretty awful. The way this book took a sharp turn and didn't lay off the brakes from there was fantastic. I didn't think there was a moment wasted, and I loved each section of the meal. I would even argue that it ended a little too abruptly after the slow climb to get there. I would have liked a few more pages, maybe an epilogue or something. I don't know.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I knocked out most of it in a day. I would definitely recommend it for something a little darker, but please, for the love of God...
Don't compare this to Gone Girl.
September 18, 2019
If Alfred Hitchcock and Vladmimir Nabokov collaborated on a novel, this book could be the result.
I love it. It's an ambitious and awesome blend of suspense, social commentary and satire.
Koch is a terrific writer. While he doesn't write with the briliant wordplay of Nabokov (that's not Koch's style) there's a tone and a way with the material that reminds me of Nabokov. And he creates suspense with the skill of Hitchcock, who also had that wink-wink thing going while he was terrifying the audience. They also both excelled at the unreliable narrator, as does Koch with his unforgettable Paul.
And it's relevant. Even more relevant today than when it was originally published in 2009. And it's probably going to take on greater relevance with time, like "A Clockwork Orange" or "Lord of the Flies."
It's a page-turner that lives up to its promise as well as its publicity -- a surprising and thought-provoking, totally unique read. I can't stop thinking about it.
I love it. It's an ambitious and awesome blend of suspense, social commentary and satire.
Koch is a terrific writer. While he doesn't write with the briliant wordplay of Nabokov (that's not Koch's style) there's a tone and a way with the material that reminds me of Nabokov. And he creates suspense with the skill of Hitchcock, who also had that wink-wink thing going while he was terrifying the audience. They also both excelled at the unreliable narrator, as does Koch with his unforgettable Paul.
And it's relevant. Even more relevant today than when it was originally published in 2009. And it's probably going to take on greater relevance with time, like "A Clockwork Orange" or "Lord of the Flies."
It's a page-turner that lives up to its promise as well as its publicity -- a surprising and thought-provoking, totally unique read. I can't stop thinking about it.
December 24, 2012
I'm a huge fan of books that explore how far we'll go for those we love, particularly our children. When Hogarth Publishers agreed to send me the e-galley of The Dinner I was ecstatic. It's due to be published in the states in February 2013.
This is a book that begs eating metaphors so I'll try to spare you but it won't be easy.
The Dinner is laid out in courses, from aperitif to digestif and is excellently plotted. You learn early on that this dinner is not the typical happy family outing. Brothers Serge and Paul and their wives have met to discuss their children and some trouble the boys, cousins Rick and Michel have gotten themselves into. It's not immediately apparent whether this trouble is the usual stuff the poor judgment of teens produces or if it's something more serious. The tension at the table is evident from the get-go. The rivalry between Paul and Serge is palatable. Serge picked the restaurant, over priced and showy where only someone with his celebrity status could hope to get a table. He's running for and likely to become the next Prime Minister. In contrast, Paul is an out of work former teacher carrying lots of baggage. Between apertif and dessert, with the in-between courses going from civilized to acrid hostility, the no good deed is revealed. What lengths will these parents go to in order to save their child?
When I last picked up my napkin, dabbed my lips and placed it on the table, I wish there were a character I liked. None were appetizing and I was left feeling a bit nauseous. Not quite content and yet, wanting no more, even though some morsel was missing. Call for the check and let me out of here.
Given time to digest, I relished in the deliciousness of the plot and this serving of evil. There's enough to chew on here for a good book discussion.
3.5 stars with a look for more from this author.
This is a book that begs eating metaphors so I'll try to spare you but it won't be easy.
The Dinner is laid out in courses, from aperitif to digestif and is excellently plotted. You learn early on that this dinner is not the typical happy family outing. Brothers Serge and Paul and their wives have met to discuss their children and some trouble the boys, cousins Rick and Michel have gotten themselves into. It's not immediately apparent whether this trouble is the usual stuff the poor judgment of teens produces or if it's something more serious. The tension at the table is evident from the get-go. The rivalry between Paul and Serge is palatable. Serge picked the restaurant, over priced and showy where only someone with his celebrity status could hope to get a table. He's running for and likely to become the next Prime Minister. In contrast, Paul is an out of work former teacher carrying lots of baggage. Between apertif and dessert, with the in-between courses going from civilized to acrid hostility, the no good deed is revealed. What lengths will these parents go to in order to save their child?
When I last picked up my napkin, dabbed my lips and placed it on the table, I wish there were a character I liked. None were appetizing and I was left feeling a bit nauseous. Not quite content and yet, wanting no more, even though some morsel was missing. Call for the check and let me out of here.
Given time to digest, I relished in the deliciousness of the plot and this serving of evil. There's enough to chew on here for a good book discussion.
3.5 stars with a look for more from this author.
December 14, 2018
If the word didn't exist prior to this book, we would've had to create "acerbic." The writing is sooooo good. The structure is fascinating. The people are deliciously awful.
August 2, 2017
A delicious, twistalicious book you will want to devour. A definite worthy contender for my TWISTER HALL OF FAME at
"Sometimes things come out of your mouth that you regret later on. Or no, not regret. You say something so razor-sharp that the person you say it to carries it around with them for the rest of their life."
鈥� Herman Koch (The Dinner)
听听
This is one of my favorite books in the domestic noir genre. It is not a book for everyone. It is biting, raw and the darkest humor you can imagine. Almost the entire story is set at a restaurant table.
There are two unhappy couples having dinner together and acting as if everything is fine. As we go from appetizers to dessert, the reader gets a sense that something is very wrong here. A simmering beneath the surface kind of tension. It continues to build until all the secrets are exposed. I could not put this book down except for minutes at a time and then I was constantly wondering "what in the world is going on here?"
Each couple has a son. These sons are cousins to each other, because their dads are brothers. 听The sons have done something horrible. Really bad. And the parents are here not just to eat dinner at a fancy restaurant, but to work out how this situation their sons are in should be handled. All four members at the table have a different agenda, a different perspective, a different personality flaw.
The narrator, Paul, is sarcastic and funny and relatable. He could be someone you know. But when you find out the true Paul, who he is when no one is watching, you realize you probably don't know anyone like him and you certainly don't want to.
To me, this book is a rare find. It is very well written, even though it is translated from Dutch to English. Amazing, the English major in me rejoices! A brilliant and literary, domestic suspense story.
"Sometimes things come out of your mouth that you regret later on. Or no, not regret. You say something so razor-sharp that the person you say it to carries it around with them for the rest of their life."
鈥� Herman Koch (The Dinner)
听听
This is one of my favorite books in the domestic noir genre. It is not a book for everyone. It is biting, raw and the darkest humor you can imagine. Almost the entire story is set at a restaurant table.
There are two unhappy couples having dinner together and acting as if everything is fine. As we go from appetizers to dessert, the reader gets a sense that something is very wrong here. A simmering beneath the surface kind of tension. It continues to build until all the secrets are exposed. I could not put this book down except for minutes at a time and then I was constantly wondering "what in the world is going on here?"
Each couple has a son. These sons are cousins to each other, because their dads are brothers. 听The sons have done something horrible. Really bad. And the parents are here not just to eat dinner at a fancy restaurant, but to work out how this situation their sons are in should be handled. All four members at the table have a different agenda, a different perspective, a different personality flaw.
The narrator, Paul, is sarcastic and funny and relatable. He could be someone you know. But when you find out the true Paul, who he is when no one is watching, you realize you probably don't know anyone like him and you certainly don't want to.
To me, this book is a rare find. It is very well written, even though it is translated from Dutch to English. Amazing, the English major in me rejoices! A brilliant and literary, domestic suspense story.
March 19, 2023
Hasta poco antes del final el libro es de esos que te da rabia tener que dejar de leer. Al final termin贸 siendo uno que te da rabia haber le铆do. La raz贸n del cambio: un final cobarde.
El relato tiene mucha fuerza, eso es indiscutible, el narrador es un impresentable, con un trastorno de superioridad (o de inferioridad, nunca he sabido si no son en el fondo lo mismo), racista y clasista, con una aversi贸n patol贸gica hacia la debilidad de los dem谩s, pero sin complejos, directo, crudo. Uno siente una intranquilidad desconcertante durante todo el relato, te pone de los nervios la impudicia de sus opiniones y argumentaciones, quiz谩s porque te enfrenta a pensamientos que alguna vez han pasado por tu cabeza, los hayas despu茅s descartado o no. Temas como la pena de muerte, el aborto, la solidaridad con los supuestamente d茅biles o indeseables, la impiedad hacia los posibles hijos con taras, temas que la novela solo enuncia, pero que te golpean y te remueven por dentro, temas de muy dif铆cil soluci贸n moral.
Y sin embargo, al final, lo m谩s enervante de todo es esa justificaci贸n, esa f谩cil y cobarde excusa al terrible hecho cometido, punto central de todo lo narrado. Una cobard铆a mucho m谩s llamativa despu茅s de v茅rnoslas con Claire y su atroz falta de piedad o el planteamiento sin medias tintas de algo que muchos piensan y callan, tan de moda hoy en d铆a en el tema de las mujeres pero extensible a cualquier otro problema social, que es esa idea de que las v铆ctimas en el fondo se lo merecen, de que no son del todo inocentes.
No s茅 si esto es o no es literatura, pero la estructura del libro, el estilo seco, directo, se amolda perfectamente a lo narrado. Pena de esa fallida guarnici贸n del segundo plato de la cena, por lo dem谩s, tan pol铆ticamente incorrecta, aunque para muchos ser谩 un descanso, una salida a lo atroz que es toda la novela, impactante por encima de todo.
August 20, 2024
I devoured THE DINNER...
THE DINNER by Herman Koch
No spoilers. 5 stars. Paul Lohman and his wife Claire are meeting Paul's brother, Serge, and his wife Babette for a posh dinner at a restaurant with a seven month waiting list...
No problem there for Serge, a well-known politician running for Prime Minister...
Paul, our narrator, kvetches straight away about the high prices, the lack of food on each plate, and the wait staff...
But...
We really get the impression that he is secretly envious of his competitive brother's fame and the obnoxious way he flaunts it...
As each course is served, we are slowly let in on the real purpose of the dinner...
Excellent novel! I devoured THE DINNER in 2 days. I've read some pretty scathing Amazon customer reviews about this remarkable little book. I guess everyone has his own opinion, but I found this story to be a real page-turner, especially the last 50%. It was controversial and thought-provoking ...and not in a lofty, boring way.
THE DINNER by Herman Koch
No spoilers. 5 stars. Paul Lohman and his wife Claire are meeting Paul's brother, Serge, and his wife Babette for a posh dinner at a restaurant with a seven month waiting list...
No problem there for Serge, a well-known politician running for Prime Minister...
Paul, our narrator, kvetches straight away about the high prices, the lack of food on each plate, and the wait staff...
But...
We really get the impression that he is secretly envious of his competitive brother's fame and the obnoxious way he flaunts it...
As each course is served, we are slowly let in on the real purpose of the dinner...
Excellent novel! I devoured THE DINNER in 2 days. I've read some pretty scathing Amazon customer reviews about this remarkable little book. I guess everyone has his own opinion, but I found this story to be a real page-turner, especially the last 50%. It was controversial and thought-provoking ...and not in a lofty, boring way.
August 9, 2015
I can consider this one of the few messed up novels that amazed me by its darkness. Some of the other ones were Gone Girl and Dark Places, so I guess I do have to agree with the blurb from Wall street journal stating that this is a European Gone Girl.
This is one of those circumstances wherein I'm glad I didn't listen to the bad reviews, and the low overall rating of the novel. Opinions vary, so stick with your gut. If the novel seems like something you'd enjoy, then don't hesitate to give it a read.
Halfway through the novel I decided to consider this as the epitome of contemporary fiction, among all the novels that I've read so far. It's weird how endless ramblings regarding random things in life kept my attention for more than 100+ pages. Palahniuk tried that style with me, but failed miserably. Koch on the other hand managed to make me like the novel even more because of the rambling. I cared about what he was trying to point out, and everything the main character said only made me like him better.
This novel, like I said, was messed up. If you're not a fan of dark fiction, then I'd suggest you avoid this. It's not gut-wrenching in the same way as some gore-y horror movies, but the outcome would make you question the sanity of the characters, or even the author himself. I'm a fan of out of norm fiction, so that means I don't mind if the author tackles on topics that are profane and socially unacceptable. I'm not one to promote such activities, of course, because I'm against them, but writing about those doesn't mean that the author automatically thinks that it's supposed to be right.
The plot took a while for it to develop. Halfway through I honestly still didn't know what was the main focus of the novel. The secret wasn't revealed then and I was impatiently waiting for it to be discussed further. At first I thought that the novel was going to have a terrible plot because of its seemingly nonexistent development, but thankfully I was proven wrong.
The characters were the main reason why this novel was messed up. Let me add in the fact though that messed up doesn't mean it was bad. I mean messed up in a positive way. Psychologically challenged characters are the best to read about, at least for me. Paul, Claire, Serge, and Babette were all amazing, and fully developed in the end. One or two of the four truly shocked me in the end of the novel. I didn't expect them to develop the way they did but the author knew what he was doing.
In the end one may ask, "What was this truly about?". In my opinion, it was about how one would do anything to keep their family safe, no matter what the consequences may be. The love of a couple for their child, and how nothing can stand against that.
4.5/5 stars. Why round it down? It's because I needed more. The novel felt like it was cut short too early. The ending was not ambiguous, and I liked what happened in the end. It does feel like a European Gone Girl, so get ready for messed up to the tenth power. Highly recommended for psychological thriller fans, because this felt like a mixture of contemporary and psycho-thriller.
This is one of those circumstances wherein I'm glad I didn't listen to the bad reviews, and the low overall rating of the novel. Opinions vary, so stick with your gut. If the novel seems like something you'd enjoy, then don't hesitate to give it a read.
Halfway through the novel I decided to consider this as the epitome of contemporary fiction, among all the novels that I've read so far. It's weird how endless ramblings regarding random things in life kept my attention for more than 100+ pages. Palahniuk tried that style with me, but failed miserably. Koch on the other hand managed to make me like the novel even more because of the rambling. I cared about what he was trying to point out, and everything the main character said only made me like him better.
This novel, like I said, was messed up. If you're not a fan of dark fiction, then I'd suggest you avoid this. It's not gut-wrenching in the same way as some gore-y horror movies, but the outcome would make you question the sanity of the characters, or even the author himself. I'm a fan of out of norm fiction, so that means I don't mind if the author tackles on topics that are profane and socially unacceptable. I'm not one to promote such activities, of course, because I'm against them, but writing about those doesn't mean that the author automatically thinks that it's supposed to be right.
The plot took a while for it to develop. Halfway through I honestly still didn't know what was the main focus of the novel. The secret wasn't revealed then and I was impatiently waiting for it to be discussed further. At first I thought that the novel was going to have a terrible plot because of its seemingly nonexistent development, but thankfully I was proven wrong.
The characters were the main reason why this novel was messed up. Let me add in the fact though that messed up doesn't mean it was bad. I mean messed up in a positive way. Psychologically challenged characters are the best to read about, at least for me. Paul, Claire, Serge, and Babette were all amazing, and fully developed in the end. One or two of the four truly shocked me in the end of the novel. I didn't expect them to develop the way they did but the author knew what he was doing.
In the end one may ask, "What was this truly about?". In my opinion, it was about how one would do anything to keep their family safe, no matter what the consequences may be. The love of a couple for their child, and how nothing can stand against that.
4.5/5 stars. Why round it down? It's because I needed more. The novel felt like it was cut short too early. The ending was not ambiguous, and I liked what happened in the end. It does feel like a European Gone Girl, so get ready for messed up to the tenth power. Highly recommended for psychological thriller fans, because this felt like a mixture of contemporary and psycho-thriller.
June 24, 2021
乇賵丕賷丞 賲夭毓噩丞, 賱賰賳 賵丕賯毓賷丞 賵鬲孬賷乇 賰鬲賷乇 賲賳 丕賱鬲爻丕丐賱丕鬲 賵丕賱賲賵囟賵毓丕鬲
兀乇亘毓 兀卮禺丕氐 賷噩鬲賲毓賵丕 毓賱賶 毓卮丕亍 賮丕禺乇, 賵賲丕 亘賷賳 丕賱賲賯亘賱丕鬲 賵丕賱爻賻賱胤丕鬲 賵丕賱胤亘賯 丕賱乇卅賷爻賷 賷丨賰賷 丕賱乇丕賵賷 毓賳 丨賷丕鬲賴賲 賵兀亘賳丕卅賴賲 賵賷賰卮賮 亘丕賱鬲丿乇賷噩 丕賱禺賮丕賷丕 賵丕賱兀爻乇丕乇
廿賱賶 兀賷 丨丿 賲賲賰賳 兀賳 賷氐賱 丕賱兀賴賱 賮賷 丨賲丕賷丞 兀賵賱丕丿賴賲 賲賴賲丕 丕乇鬲賰亘賵丕 賲賳 噩乇丕卅賲, 賵賲爻卅賵賱賷丞 丕賱丌亘丕亍 毓賳 丕賱兀禺賱丕賯賷丕鬲 賵丕賱爻賱賵賰賷丕鬲 丕賱鬲賷 賷賰鬲爻亘賴丕 丕賱兀亘賳丕亍
賵丕賱兀賴賲 ...賴賱 丕賱毓賳賮 賵丕賱毓丿丕賵賳賷丞 賮賷 丕賱鬲賮賰賷乇 賵丕賱爻賱賵賰 賳丕鬲噩 毓賳 禺賱賱 噩賷賳賷 賵乇丕孬賷 兀賲 賯賵丞 賰丕賲賳丞 丿丕禺賱 丕賱丕賳爻丕賳 鬲馗賴乇 廿匕丕 鬲賵賮乇鬲 賱賴丕 丕賱亘賷卅丞 賵丕賱馗乇賵賮
丨鬲賶 丕賱賲賮丕賴賷賲 丕賱賵丕囟丨丞 賲購禺鬲賱賮 毓賱賷賴丕 賵賰賱 賷乇丕賴丕 賲賳 賵噩賴丞 賳馗乇賴, 丕賱毓賳氐乇賷丞 賵丕賱鬲賲賷賷夭, 丕賱賯賵丕賳賷賳 賵毓賯賵亘丕鬲 丕賱噩乇丕卅賲 丕賱賱賷 亘鬲丨賯賯 丕賱毓丿丕賱丞, 鬲氐乇賮丕鬲 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷賷賳 賵丕賱兀孬乇賷丕亍...
毓噩亘鬲賳賷 噩丿丕 丕賱胤乇賷賯丞 丕賱鬲賷 賳爻噩 亘賴丕 賴賷乇賲丕賳 賰賵禺 禺賷賵胤 乇賵丕賷鬲賴, 賵鬲乇賰賷亘丞 丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 賵鬲賳賯賱丕鬲 丕賱乇丕賵賷 亘賷賳 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 賵丕賱兀夭賲丕賳
兀爻賱賵亘 丕賱爻乇丿 賲賲賷夭 鬲卮毓乇 賲毓賴 亘丕囟胤乇丕亘 賳賮爻賷丞 丕賱乇丕賵賷 賵禺丕氐丞賸 賮賷 亘毓囟 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 丕賱鬲賷 賱賲 賷賮爻乇賴丕 兀孬賳丕亍 丕賱丨賰賷
兀乇亘毓 兀卮禺丕氐 賷噩鬲賲毓賵丕 毓賱賶 毓卮丕亍 賮丕禺乇, 賵賲丕 亘賷賳 丕賱賲賯亘賱丕鬲 賵丕賱爻賻賱胤丕鬲 賵丕賱胤亘賯 丕賱乇卅賷爻賷 賷丨賰賷 丕賱乇丕賵賷 毓賳 丨賷丕鬲賴賲 賵兀亘賳丕卅賴賲 賵賷賰卮賮 亘丕賱鬲丿乇賷噩 丕賱禺賮丕賷丕 賵丕賱兀爻乇丕乇
廿賱賶 兀賷 丨丿 賲賲賰賳 兀賳 賷氐賱 丕賱兀賴賱 賮賷 丨賲丕賷丞 兀賵賱丕丿賴賲 賲賴賲丕 丕乇鬲賰亘賵丕 賲賳 噩乇丕卅賲, 賵賲爻卅賵賱賷丞 丕賱丌亘丕亍 毓賳 丕賱兀禺賱丕賯賷丕鬲 賵丕賱爻賱賵賰賷丕鬲 丕賱鬲賷 賷賰鬲爻亘賴丕 丕賱兀亘賳丕亍
賵丕賱兀賴賲 ...賴賱 丕賱毓賳賮 賵丕賱毓丿丕賵賳賷丞 賮賷 丕賱鬲賮賰賷乇 賵丕賱爻賱賵賰 賳丕鬲噩 毓賳 禺賱賱 噩賷賳賷 賵乇丕孬賷 兀賲 賯賵丞 賰丕賲賳丞 丿丕禺賱 丕賱丕賳爻丕賳 鬲馗賴乇 廿匕丕 鬲賵賮乇鬲 賱賴丕 丕賱亘賷卅丞 賵丕賱馗乇賵賮
丨鬲賶 丕賱賲賮丕賴賷賲 丕賱賵丕囟丨丞 賲購禺鬲賱賮 毓賱賷賴丕 賵賰賱 賷乇丕賴丕 賲賳 賵噩賴丞 賳馗乇賴, 丕賱毓賳氐乇賷丞 賵丕賱鬲賲賷賷夭, 丕賱賯賵丕賳賷賳 賵毓賯賵亘丕鬲 丕賱噩乇丕卅賲 丕賱賱賷 亘鬲丨賯賯 丕賱毓丿丕賱丞, 鬲氐乇賮丕鬲 丕賱爻賷丕爻賷賷賳 賵丕賱兀孬乇賷丕亍...
毓噩亘鬲賳賷 噩丿丕 丕賱胤乇賷賯丞 丕賱鬲賷 賳爻噩 亘賴丕 賴賷乇賲丕賳 賰賵禺 禺賷賵胤 乇賵丕賷鬲賴, 賵鬲乇賰賷亘丞 丕賱卮禺氐賷丕鬲 賵鬲賳賯賱丕鬲 丕賱乇丕賵賷 亘賷賳 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 賵丕賱兀夭賲丕賳
兀爻賱賵亘 丕賱爻乇丿 賲賲賷夭 鬲卮毓乇 賲毓賴 亘丕囟胤乇丕亘 賳賮爻賷丞 丕賱乇丕賵賷 賵禺丕氐丞賸 賮賷 亘毓囟 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 丕賱鬲賷 賱賲 賷賮爻乇賴丕 兀孬賳丕亍 丕賱丨賰賷
May 15, 2013
I understand comparing a book to Gone Girl will push sales, so yay for that comparison plastered on every The Dinner reference. But seriously, motherfuckers, this novel is more like Flynn's Sharp Objects and, in my eyes, better than Gone Girl. So let's stop talking about Gone Girl, even though I liked that book, because, you know, there are other books in the goddamn universe and I'm trying to review one as we speak.
The Dinner's main character is an angry, reflective guy out at a restaurant with his wife, brother, and sister-in-law. The action unfolds over the evening and through flashbacks. I suppose one of comparisons between The Dinner and the Gillian Flynn-novel-that-will-not-be-named emerges from the fact I couldn't write a review of either without fearing revealing spoilers. Koch's novel is tighter, however, in its focus on familiar relationships, whether they be father/son, mother/son, father/mother, or brother/brother. The narrators gets to articulate the terrific hatred and frustration inherent in minor interactions and (perhaps) over-sensitivity to slights and manipulation when one's mind isn't quite in the right place. And the deep darkness connects to the question of whether or not families can retain a semblance of normalcy or even grow closer when the stakeholders lie, scheme, and withhold, sometimes to each other, sometimes for each other.
I very much enjoyed The Dinner. I don't re-read much but I could see myself re-reading the novel in a month or two because the elegant structure deserves a second look. This book is better than its the "European Gone Girl or "topic of countless dinner party debates" horseshit tag lines. Read The Dinner on its own terms.
The Dinner's main character is an angry, reflective guy out at a restaurant with his wife, brother, and sister-in-law. The action unfolds over the evening and through flashbacks. I suppose one of comparisons between The Dinner and the Gillian Flynn-novel-that-will-not-be-named emerges from the fact I couldn't write a review of either without fearing revealing spoilers. Koch's novel is tighter, however, in its focus on familiar relationships, whether they be father/son, mother/son, father/mother, or brother/brother. The narrators gets to articulate the terrific hatred and frustration inherent in minor interactions and (perhaps) over-sensitivity to slights and manipulation when one's mind isn't quite in the right place. And the deep darkness connects to the question of whether or not families can retain a semblance of normalcy or even grow closer when the stakeholders lie, scheme, and withhold, sometimes to each other, sometimes for each other.
I very much enjoyed The Dinner. I don't re-read much but I could see myself re-reading the novel in a month or two because the elegant structure deserves a second look. This book is better than its the "European Gone Girl or "topic of countless dinner party debates" horseshit tag lines. Read The Dinner on its own terms.
August 14, 2017
The folks in this book got under my skin from the get go. The pretentiousness was mind boggling. These are people for whom it's important who arrives last for a dinner reservation, for whom appearance is all. They meet at a restaurant that reminds me of The Emperor's New Clothes. Will no one admit to the laughingly almost empty plates of unique ingredients? And it goes downhill from there. These aren't people you're going to like. Those opening chapters give you an inkling of how these folks will deal with the horrendous thing their boys have done.
We see everything through the eyes of Paul, but that doesn't mean you like him.
I can't see this book being made into a movie. So much of the 鈥渄ialog鈥� is Paul talking directly to the reader, giving you his opinion on events. And as the book goes on, you start questioning the man's sanity.
I am reading this for book club and am anxious for the discussion. This is definitely one of those books where you don't care for the characters but there's lots of meat to discuss. It's not an easy read, definitely not a feel good. But it does grip you and force you to think how you would act in a similar situation. Hopefully not like these four parents鈥�
We see everything through the eyes of Paul, but that doesn't mean you like him.
I can't see this book being made into a movie. So much of the 鈥渄ialog鈥� is Paul talking directly to the reader, giving you his opinion on events. And as the book goes on, you start questioning the man's sanity.
I am reading this for book club and am anxious for the discussion. This is definitely one of those books where you don't care for the characters but there's lots of meat to discuss. It's not an easy read, definitely not a feel good. But it does grip you and force you to think how you would act in a similar situation. Hopefully not like these four parents鈥�
August 23, 2023
four varyingly loathsome pieces of upper-middle class trash go out to an expensive dinner; eventually they get around to discussing the antics of their sociopathic kids. what could have been a scathing indictment of amoral bourgeois complacency becomes a tense yet eyerolling thriller that blames evil on heritable psychopathy with a side serving of insane enablement. upper-middle class readers can enjoy uncomfortable laughs over the pretensions of their peers, but are ultimately let off the hook because ain't no one seeing themselves in a violent basket case or Lady Macbeth. "undemanding..." gushed Financial Times. too true!
April 1, 2015
This is the book that should have said, "If you liked Gone Girl..." And, after reading some reviews, maybe it did, and I just never saw it. For me, this book is a top notch psychological thriller.
Two couples meet at a posh restaurant for dinner, arriving to discuss some type of problem with their children. The two couples are Paul, and his wife Clair, and Serge (Paul's brother), and his wife Babette. Paul is the single narrator of this story and he recounts much of his past as each course of dinner arrives. I don't think I'll ever get their waiters pointy little finger out of my head, as he uses it to point to each item of food as it arrives. You know, those fancy restaurants who call three slices of cheese on a plate the most extraordinary cuisine, with each described meticulously.
Sorry, the story...The first 20% or so focuses on Paul's memories and how he, and each of the characters have interacted in the past. It seems to plod along a bit, however, later, the fleshing out of these characters proves vital.
Here's what happened after the first 20%, BAM!! WHAT? WHAT JUST HAPPENED? The "problem" related to their children, begins to be reveled, and I was in complete shock. From this point on, I was riveted to my chair, reading at record speed, with a lot of OMG's! What the children were involved in, and the parent's ideals and backgrounds really come into play now with how the situation will be handled.
What I liked so much is the extremely uncomfortable questions the author wants us to ponder, such as: Do our moral responsibilities lie with the protection of our family, or with the larger picture of societies morals? Can violence be hereditary? Do we all have a private and a public face? Are "real" families only those with similar genes? Is a happy family one that sticks together at all costs? Are certain people valued more because of their social standing or intelligence? Do we have a secret vigilante wish to kill those who cannot be rehabilitated, and where do we draw that line?
I love that this book took me down the dark side. I didn't like a single character, but sure did love the book. So, if you'd like your Gone Girl a little darker, you won't be disappointed!
Two couples meet at a posh restaurant for dinner, arriving to discuss some type of problem with their children. The two couples are Paul, and his wife Clair, and Serge (Paul's brother), and his wife Babette. Paul is the single narrator of this story and he recounts much of his past as each course of dinner arrives. I don't think I'll ever get their waiters pointy little finger out of my head, as he uses it to point to each item of food as it arrives. You know, those fancy restaurants who call three slices of cheese on a plate the most extraordinary cuisine, with each described meticulously.
Sorry, the story...The first 20% or so focuses on Paul's memories and how he, and each of the characters have interacted in the past. It seems to plod along a bit, however, later, the fleshing out of these characters proves vital.
Here's what happened after the first 20%, BAM!! WHAT? WHAT JUST HAPPENED? The "problem" related to their children, begins to be reveled, and I was in complete shock. From this point on, I was riveted to my chair, reading at record speed, with a lot of OMG's! What the children were involved in, and the parent's ideals and backgrounds really come into play now with how the situation will be handled.
What I liked so much is the extremely uncomfortable questions the author wants us to ponder, such as: Do our moral responsibilities lie with the protection of our family, or with the larger picture of societies morals? Can violence be hereditary? Do we all have a private and a public face? Are "real" families only those with similar genes? Is a happy family one that sticks together at all costs? Are certain people valued more because of their social standing or intelligence? Do we have a secret vigilante wish to kill those who cannot be rehabilitated, and where do we draw that line?
I love that this book took me down the dark side. I didn't like a single character, but sure did love the book. So, if you'd like your Gone Girl a little darker, you won't be disappointed!
April 22, 2025
袨褌薪芯胁芯 胁械谢懈泻芯谢械锌械薪 褉芯屑邪薪 薪邪 谐-薪 袣芯褏!
袨泻邪蟹胁邪 褋械, 褔械 褋谢褍褔邪泄薪芯 褋褗屑 薪邪谢褍褔泻邪谢 谐褉邪写邪褑懈褟褌邪 薪邪 褌胁芯褉斜懈褌械 屑褍 懈 胁褋褟泻邪 褋谢械写胁邪褖邪 薪邪写谐褉邪卸写邪 懈 写芯锌褗谢胁邪 锌褉械写薪懈褌械. 袨斜褉邪蟹褍胁邪 褋械 薪械褖芯 泻邪褌芯 屑芯蟹邪泄泻邪 薪邪 褋褗胁褉械屑械薪薪懈褌械 薪褉邪胁懈 懈 芯斜懈褔邪懈 薪邪 锌褉懈胁懈谢懈谐懈褉芯胁邪薪邪褌邪 褔邪褋褌 芯褌 褔芯胁械褔械褋褌胁芯褌芯.
袙 泻薪懈谐邪褌邪 褋褌邪胁邪 写褍屑邪 蟹邪 薪械褖芯 屑薪芯谐芯 胁邪卸薪芯 胁 锌芯褋谢械写薪懈褌械 薪褟泻谢芯谢泻芯 写械褋械褌懈谢械褌懈褟 - 芯褌薪芯褕械薪懈褟褌邪 胁 褋械屑械泄褋褌胁芯褌芯 懈 胁褗蟹锌懈褌邪薪懈械褌芯 薪邪 写械褑邪褌邪.
袟邪 胁褌芯褉懈 锌褗褌 褋谢械写 "袦邪谢褗泻 卸懈胁芯褌" 薪邪 啸邪薪褟 携薪懈谐懈褏邪褉邪 褋褗屑 锌褉芯胁芯泻懈褉邪薪 写邪 褋械 蟹邪屑懈褋谢褟 褋械褉懈芯蟹薪芯 锌芯 褌械蟹懈 胁褗锌褉芯褋懈. 袧芯 写芯泻邪褌芯 胁 泻薪懈谐邪褌邪 薪邪 啸邪薪褟 胁懈卸写邪屑械 褍卸邪褋褟胁邪褖懈褌械 锌芯褋谢械写褋褌胁懈褟 芯褌 胁褗蟹锌懈褌邪薪懈械褌芯 懈谢懈 谢懈锌褋邪褌邪 屑褍, 胁褗胁 "袙械褔械褉褟褌邪" 褋械 褍褋褌邪薪芯胁褟胁邪 写芯薪褟泻褗写械, 泻邪泻 褌芯褔薪芯 褋械 械 褋褌懈谐薪邪谢芯 写芯 褌褟褏...
袟邪褖芯 胁褋械 锌芯-褔械褋褌芯, 褉械邪谢薪芯 懈谢懈 薪械, 褉芯写懈褌械谢懈褌械 褋械 锌褉芯胁邪谢褟褌 谐褉邪薪写懈芯蟹薪芯 胁 褌芯胁邪 蟹邪写褗谢卸械薪懈械 - 胁褗蟹锌懈褌邪薪懈械褌芯 薪邪 薪邪褋谢械写薪懈褑懈褌械 褋懈? 袟邪褖芯 胁褋械 锌芯-屑邪谢泻芯 锌芯蟹薪邪胁邪褌 写械褑邪褌邪 褋懈 懈 褋懈谢懈褌械, 泻芯懈褌芯 谐懈 写胁懈卸邪褌 薪邪锌褉械写 懈谢懈 薪邪褋褌褉邪薪懈? 袟邪褖芯 锌芯 写褟胁芯谢懈褌械 写械褑邪褌邪 薪懈 褋邪 褌芯谢泻芯胁邪 锌芯-褉邪蟹谢懈褔薪懈 芯褌 薪邪褋, 写褍锌泻邪 屑械卸写褍 锌芯泻芯谢械薪懈褟褌邪 胁懈薪邪谐懈 械 懈屑邪谢芯, 薪芯 褋械谐邪 械 胁械褔械 褑褟谢邪 锌褉芯锌邪褋褌? 袣邪泻 懈 泻芯谐邪 褍褋锌褟 写邪 蟹邪谐薪懈械 褌芯谢泻芯胁邪 芯斜褖械褋褌胁芯褌芯 薪懈?
袣芯褏 械 斜褉褍褌邪谢薪芯 懈褋泻褉械薪, 薪芯 胁褋褗褖薪芯褋褌 械 褉械邪谢懈褋褌 懈 薪邪锌懈褋邪薪芯褌芯 芯褌 薪械谐芯 褋械 褋谢褍褔胁邪 胁褋械泻懈 写械薪 懈 褔邪褋. 袨锌褉邪胁写邪谢 褋械 械 褋褗褋 蟹邪斜芯谢褟胁邪薪械 胁 褌械泻褋褌邪, 薪芯 锌芯胁械褔械褌芯 褉芯写懈褌械谢懈 薪褟屑邪 泻邪泻 写邪 褋械 薪邪屑械褉褟褌 锌芯写芯斜薪芯 懈蟹胁懈薪械薪懈械. 袙褋械 锌芯-褔械褋褌芯 褋褉械褖邪屑械 褌械蟹懈 褌懈锌邪卸懈 - 屑邪泄泻懈褌械 "芯褉谢懈褑懈", 褔懈泄褌芯 袚芯褕泻芯 械 薪邪泄-褍薪懈泻邪谢薪芯褌芯 懈 褋锌芯褋芯斜薪芯 写袠褌械 薪邪 褋胁械褌邪 懈 谢懈褕械薪懈褌械 懈屑 芯褌 褋芯褑懈邪谢薪邪 懈 屑褗卸泻邪 芯褌谐芯胁芯褉薪芯褋褌 斜邪褖懈, 褋屑邪褔泻邪薪懈 芯褌 褌褉褍锌邪褖懈褌械 褋械 懈蟹懈褋泻胁邪薪懈褟 懈 芯褌谐芯胁芯褉薪芯褋褌懈. 袣芯泄 屑芯卸械 写邪 谐懈 胁懈薪懈, 褔械 褋邪 褌芯胁邪 泻芯械褌芯 褋邪? 袚邪褉邪薪褑懈褟 写邪胁邪屑, 褔械 懈蟹谢懈蟹邪薪械褌芯 芯褌 褌邪泻褗胁 锌芯褉芯褔械薪 泻褉褗谐 械 邪斜褋芯谢褞褌薪芯 薪械锌芯褋懈谢薪芯...
袨褌 写褉褍谐邪褌邪 褋褌褉邪薪邪 懈屑邪屑械 褋泻芯锌械薪懈 懈薪褋褌懈褌褍褑懈 懈 褋谢褍卸懈褌械谢懈, 泻芯懈褌芯 谐谢械写邪褌 写邪 芯褌斜懈褟褌 薪芯屑械褉邪, 褌邪泻邪 懈屑 械 薪邪泄-谢械褋薪芯. 袙屑械褋褌芯 写邪 锌芯屑邪谐邪褌, 褌械 褋邪屑芯 锌褉械褔邪褌. 袧邪 屑械薪, 泻芯泄褌芯 褋褗屑 锌芯褉褟写褗褔薪芯 懈蟹斜褍褏谢懈胁 懈 薪械褌芯谢械褉邪薪褌械薪 褋锌褉褟屑芯 褔芯胁械褕泻邪褌邪 锌褉芯褋褌芯褌懈褟, 屑懈 械 懈写胁邪谢芯 胁械褔械 写械褋械褌泻懈 锌褗褌懈 写邪 褋屑邪卸邪 薪械褔懈褟 褌邪泻邪胁邪 褋邪屑芯写芯胁芯谢薪邪 屑褍褌褉邪, 胁泻芯锌褔懈谢邪 褋械 泻邪褌芯 锌邪褉邪蟹懈褌 胁 屑邪谢泻懈褌械 褋懈 锌褉邪胁芯屑芯褖懈褟 懈 胁褗蟹屑芯卸薪芯褋褌懈 写邪 褉械褕邪胁邪 褔褍卸写懈 褋褗写斜懈. 袛芯 褋械谐邪 褋褗屑 褋械 褍写褗褉卸邪谢 薪褟泻邪泻, 薪芯 褉邪蟹斜懈褉邪屑 褔褍写械褋薪芯 袩邪褍谢.
袙 蟹邪泻谢褞褔械薪懈械 褖械 泻邪卸邪, 褔械 谐-薪 袣芯褏 械 薪邪锌懈褋邪谢 屑薪芯谐芯 胁邪卸薪邪 泻薪懈谐邪, 泻芯褟褌芯 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 褋械 褔械褌械 懈 芯斜褋褗卸写邪 锌褉懈 胁褋械泻懈 胁褗蟹屑芯卸械薪 褋谢褍褔邪泄!
P.S. 袠 褌褉懈褌械 褉芯屑邪薪邪 薪邪 邪胁褌芯褉邪 褋邪 屑薪芯谐芯 褋懈谢薪懈, 懈蟹斜懈褉邪屑 "校胁邪卸邪械屑懈 谐-薪 袦." 蟹邪 薪邪泄-锌褉械写锌芯褔懈褌邪薪 芯褌 屑械薪, 芯褋薪芯胁薪芯 蟹邪褉邪写懈 褋谢芯卸薪芯褋褌褌邪 薪邪 懈蟹锌褗谢薪械薪懈械褌芯 懈 蟹邪 泻邪褔械褋褌胁芯褌芯 薪邪 褋褞卸械褌薪懈褌械 褉邪蟹胁懈褌懈褟 胁 薪械谐芯. "袙械褔械褉褟褌邪" 芯褌褋褌褗锌胁邪 褋褗胁褋械屑 屑邪谢泻芯, 薪邪泄 胁械褔械 蟹邪褉邪写懈 锌芯-褋泻芯褉芯 泻邪屑械褉薪邪褌邪 褋褑械薪邪. "袙懈谢邪 褋 斜邪褋械泄薪" 泻谢邪褋懈褉邪屑 褌褉械褌邪, 薪芯 褋褗胁褋械屑 薪械 懈褋泻邪屑 写邪 褟 芯屑邪谢芯胁邪卸邪, 蟹邪褉邪写懈 胁邪卸薪懈褌械 褌械屑懈 褉邪蟹胁懈褌懈 懈 胁 薪械褟.
袣邪褌芯 泻褉邪泄薪芯 屑薪械薪懈械, 屑懈褋谢褟 褔械 懈 褌褉懈褌械 屑褍 褉芯屑邪薪邪 褋邪 褔褍写械褋薪懈 懈 泻邪褉邪褌 褔懈褌邪褌械谢褟 写邪 薪邪胁谢懈蟹邪 胁 锌褉芯褋褌褉邪薪褋褌胁邪 写邪谢械褔 芯褌 蟹芯薪懈褌械 褋懈 薪邪 泻芯屑褎芯褉褌. 袣芯械褌芯 械 胁械谢懈泻芯, 谐芯谢褟屑 褕谢械屑 蟹邪 谐-薪 袣芯褏, 锌邪 屑邪泻邪褉 懈 褋邪屑芯 褋 褌褉懈 褌胁芯褉斜懈!!!
袣芯褉懈褑邪褌邪 械 芯褌薪芯胁芯 胁 褌芯蟹懈 谐邪写械薪 懈 锌褉邪蟹械薪 卸褗谢褌 褑胁褟褌... 袣芯泄 谢懈 械 褌芯蟹懈 械谢械屑械薪褌 胁 懈蟹写邪褌械谢褋褌胁芯褌芯, 薪邪 泻芯谐芯褌芯 褌芯胁邪 褋械 褋褌褉褍胁邪 写芯斜褉邪 懈写械褟? 馃ゴ馃
袝褌芯 谐芯 泻邪褌芯 泻芯薪褌褉邪褋褌 懈 泻褉械邪褌懈胁薪懈褟褌 邪褎懈褕 薪邪 孝械邪褌褗褉 小芯褎懈褟, 蟹邪 褌褟褏薪邪褌邪 邪写邪锌褌邪褑懈褟 锌芯 泻薪懈谐邪褌邪:
袨泻邪蟹胁邪 褋械, 褔械 褋谢褍褔邪泄薪芯 褋褗屑 薪邪谢褍褔泻邪谢 谐褉邪写邪褑懈褟褌邪 薪邪 褌胁芯褉斜懈褌械 屑褍 懈 胁褋褟泻邪 褋谢械写胁邪褖邪 薪邪写谐褉邪卸写邪 懈 写芯锌褗谢胁邪 锌褉械写薪懈褌械. 袨斜褉邪蟹褍胁邪 褋械 薪械褖芯 泻邪褌芯 屑芯蟹邪泄泻邪 薪邪 褋褗胁褉械屑械薪薪懈褌械 薪褉邪胁懈 懈 芯斜懈褔邪懈 薪邪 锌褉懈胁懈谢懈谐懈褉芯胁邪薪邪褌邪 褔邪褋褌 芯褌 褔芯胁械褔械褋褌胁芯褌芯.
袙 泻薪懈谐邪褌邪 褋褌邪胁邪 写褍屑邪 蟹邪 薪械褖芯 屑薪芯谐芯 胁邪卸薪芯 胁 锌芯褋谢械写薪懈褌械 薪褟泻谢芯谢泻芯 写械褋械褌懈谢械褌懈褟 - 芯褌薪芯褕械薪懈褟褌邪 胁 褋械屑械泄褋褌胁芯褌芯 懈 胁褗蟹锌懈褌邪薪懈械褌芯 薪邪 写械褑邪褌邪.
袟邪 胁褌芯褉懈 锌褗褌 褋谢械写 "袦邪谢褗泻 卸懈胁芯褌" 薪邪 啸邪薪褟 携薪懈谐懈褏邪褉邪 褋褗屑 锌褉芯胁芯泻懈褉邪薪 写邪 褋械 蟹邪屑懈褋谢褟 褋械褉懈芯蟹薪芯 锌芯 褌械蟹懈 胁褗锌褉芯褋懈. 袧芯 写芯泻邪褌芯 胁 泻薪懈谐邪褌邪 薪邪 啸邪薪褟 胁懈卸写邪屑械 褍卸邪褋褟胁邪褖懈褌械 锌芯褋谢械写褋褌胁懈褟 芯褌 胁褗蟹锌懈褌邪薪懈械褌芯 懈谢懈 谢懈锌褋邪褌邪 屑褍, 胁褗胁 "袙械褔械褉褟褌邪" 褋械 褍褋褌邪薪芯胁褟胁邪 写芯薪褟泻褗写械, 泻邪泻 褌芯褔薪芯 褋械 械 褋褌懈谐薪邪谢芯 写芯 褌褟褏...
袟邪褖芯 胁褋械 锌芯-褔械褋褌芯, 褉械邪谢薪芯 懈谢懈 薪械, 褉芯写懈褌械谢懈褌械 褋械 锌褉芯胁邪谢褟褌 谐褉邪薪写懈芯蟹薪芯 胁 褌芯胁邪 蟹邪写褗谢卸械薪懈械 - 胁褗蟹锌懈褌邪薪懈械褌芯 薪邪 薪邪褋谢械写薪懈褑懈褌械 褋懈? 袟邪褖芯 胁褋械 锌芯-屑邪谢泻芯 锌芯蟹薪邪胁邪褌 写械褑邪褌邪 褋懈 懈 褋懈谢懈褌械, 泻芯懈褌芯 谐懈 写胁懈卸邪褌 薪邪锌褉械写 懈谢懈 薪邪褋褌褉邪薪懈? 袟邪褖芯 锌芯 写褟胁芯谢懈褌械 写械褑邪褌邪 薪懈 褋邪 褌芯谢泻芯胁邪 锌芯-褉邪蟹谢懈褔薪懈 芯褌 薪邪褋, 写褍锌泻邪 屑械卸写褍 锌芯泻芯谢械薪懈褟褌邪 胁懈薪邪谐懈 械 懈屑邪谢芯, 薪芯 褋械谐邪 械 胁械褔械 褑褟谢邪 锌褉芯锌邪褋褌? 袣邪泻 懈 泻芯谐邪 褍褋锌褟 写邪 蟹邪谐薪懈械 褌芯谢泻芯胁邪 芯斜褖械褋褌胁芯褌芯 薪懈?
袣芯褏 械 斜褉褍褌邪谢薪芯 懈褋泻褉械薪, 薪芯 胁褋褗褖薪芯褋褌 械 褉械邪谢懈褋褌 懈 薪邪锌懈褋邪薪芯褌芯 芯褌 薪械谐芯 褋械 褋谢褍褔胁邪 胁褋械泻懈 写械薪 懈 褔邪褋. 袨锌褉邪胁写邪谢 褋械 械 褋褗褋 蟹邪斜芯谢褟胁邪薪械 胁 褌械泻褋褌邪, 薪芯 锌芯胁械褔械褌芯 褉芯写懈褌械谢懈 薪褟屑邪 泻邪泻 写邪 褋械 薪邪屑械褉褟褌 锌芯写芯斜薪芯 懈蟹胁懈薪械薪懈械. 袙褋械 锌芯-褔械褋褌芯 褋褉械褖邪屑械 褌械蟹懈 褌懈锌邪卸懈 - 屑邪泄泻懈褌械 "芯褉谢懈褑懈", 褔懈泄褌芯 袚芯褕泻芯 械 薪邪泄-褍薪懈泻邪谢薪芯褌芯 懈 褋锌芯褋芯斜薪芯 写袠褌械 薪邪 褋胁械褌邪 懈 谢懈褕械薪懈褌械 懈屑 芯褌 褋芯褑懈邪谢薪邪 懈 屑褗卸泻邪 芯褌谐芯胁芯褉薪芯褋褌 斜邪褖懈, 褋屑邪褔泻邪薪懈 芯褌 褌褉褍锌邪褖懈褌械 褋械 懈蟹懈褋泻胁邪薪懈褟 懈 芯褌谐芯胁芯褉薪芯褋褌懈. 袣芯泄 屑芯卸械 写邪 谐懈 胁懈薪懈, 褔械 褋邪 褌芯胁邪 泻芯械褌芯 褋邪? 袚邪褉邪薪褑懈褟 写邪胁邪屑, 褔械 懈蟹谢懈蟹邪薪械褌芯 芯褌 褌邪泻褗胁 锌芯褉芯褔械薪 泻褉褗谐 械 邪斜褋芯谢褞褌薪芯 薪械锌芯褋懈谢薪芯...
袨褌 写褉褍谐邪褌邪 褋褌褉邪薪邪 懈屑邪屑械 褋泻芯锌械薪懈 懈薪褋褌懈褌褍褑懈 懈 褋谢褍卸懈褌械谢懈, 泻芯懈褌芯 谐谢械写邪褌 写邪 芯褌斜懈褟褌 薪芯屑械褉邪, 褌邪泻邪 懈屑 械 薪邪泄-谢械褋薪芯. 袙屑械褋褌芯 写邪 锌芯屑邪谐邪褌, 褌械 褋邪屑芯 锌褉械褔邪褌. 袧邪 屑械薪, 泻芯泄褌芯 褋褗屑 锌芯褉褟写褗褔薪芯 懈蟹斜褍褏谢懈胁 懈 薪械褌芯谢械褉邪薪褌械薪 褋锌褉褟屑芯 褔芯胁械褕泻邪褌邪 锌褉芯褋褌芯褌懈褟, 屑懈 械 懈写胁邪谢芯 胁械褔械 写械褋械褌泻懈 锌褗褌懈 写邪 褋屑邪卸邪 薪械褔懈褟 褌邪泻邪胁邪 褋邪屑芯写芯胁芯谢薪邪 屑褍褌褉邪, 胁泻芯锌褔懈谢邪 褋械 泻邪褌芯 锌邪褉邪蟹懈褌 胁 屑邪谢泻懈褌械 褋懈 锌褉邪胁芯屑芯褖懈褟 懈 胁褗蟹屑芯卸薪芯褋褌懈 写邪 褉械褕邪胁邪 褔褍卸写懈 褋褗写斜懈. 袛芯 褋械谐邪 褋褗屑 褋械 褍写褗褉卸邪谢 薪褟泻邪泻, 薪芯 褉邪蟹斜懈褉邪屑 褔褍写械褋薪芯 袩邪褍谢.
袙 蟹邪泻谢褞褔械薪懈械 褖械 泻邪卸邪, 褔械 谐-薪 袣芯褏 械 薪邪锌懈褋邪谢 屑薪芯谐芯 胁邪卸薪邪 泻薪懈谐邪, 泻芯褟褌芯 褌褉褟斜胁邪 写邪 褋械 褔械褌械 懈 芯斜褋褗卸写邪 锌褉懈 胁褋械泻懈 胁褗蟹屑芯卸械薪 褋谢褍褔邪泄!
P.S. 袠 褌褉懈褌械 褉芯屑邪薪邪 薪邪 邪胁褌芯褉邪 褋邪 屑薪芯谐芯 褋懈谢薪懈, 懈蟹斜懈褉邪屑 "校胁邪卸邪械屑懈 谐-薪 袦." 蟹邪 薪邪泄-锌褉械写锌芯褔懈褌邪薪 芯褌 屑械薪, 芯褋薪芯胁薪芯 蟹邪褉邪写懈 褋谢芯卸薪芯褋褌褌邪 薪邪 懈蟹锌褗谢薪械薪懈械褌芯 懈 蟹邪 泻邪褔械褋褌胁芯褌芯 薪邪 褋褞卸械褌薪懈褌械 褉邪蟹胁懈褌懈褟 胁 薪械谐芯. "袙械褔械褉褟褌邪" 芯褌褋褌褗锌胁邪 褋褗胁褋械屑 屑邪谢泻芯, 薪邪泄 胁械褔械 蟹邪褉邪写懈 锌芯-褋泻芯褉芯 泻邪屑械褉薪邪褌邪 褋褑械薪邪. "袙懈谢邪 褋 斜邪褋械泄薪" 泻谢邪褋懈褉邪屑 褌褉械褌邪, 薪芯 褋褗胁褋械屑 薪械 懈褋泻邪屑 写邪 褟 芯屑邪谢芯胁邪卸邪, 蟹邪褉邪写懈 胁邪卸薪懈褌械 褌械屑懈 褉邪蟹胁懈褌懈 懈 胁 薪械褟.
袣邪褌芯 泻褉邪泄薪芯 屑薪械薪懈械, 屑懈褋谢褟 褔械 懈 褌褉懈褌械 屑褍 褉芯屑邪薪邪 褋邪 褔褍写械褋薪懈 懈 泻邪褉邪褌 褔懈褌邪褌械谢褟 写邪 薪邪胁谢懈蟹邪 胁 锌褉芯褋褌褉邪薪褋褌胁邪 写邪谢械褔 芯褌 蟹芯薪懈褌械 褋懈 薪邪 泻芯屑褎芯褉褌. 袣芯械褌芯 械 胁械谢懈泻芯, 谐芯谢褟屑 褕谢械屑 蟹邪 谐-薪 袣芯褏, 锌邪 屑邪泻邪褉 懈 褋邪屑芯 褋 褌褉懈 褌胁芯褉斜懈!!!
袣芯褉懈褑邪褌邪 械 芯褌薪芯胁芯 胁 褌芯蟹懈 谐邪写械薪 懈 锌褉邪蟹械薪 卸褗谢褌 褑胁褟褌... 袣芯泄 谢懈 械 褌芯蟹懈 械谢械屑械薪褌 胁 懈蟹写邪褌械谢褋褌胁芯褌芯, 薪邪 泻芯谐芯褌芯 褌芯胁邪 褋械 褋褌褉褍胁邪 写芯斜褉邪 懈写械褟? 馃ゴ馃
袝褌芯 谐芯 泻邪褌芯 泻芯薪褌褉邪褋褌 懈 泻褉械邪褌懈胁薪懈褟褌 邪褎懈褕 薪邪 孝械邪褌褗褉 小芯褎懈褟, 蟹邪 褌褟褏薪邪褌邪 邪写邪锌褌邪褑懈褟 锌芯 泻薪懈谐邪褌邪:
October 29, 2015
There鈥檚 a bit too much on the menu in this wickedly fun psychological thriller from bestselling Dutch author Herman Koch.
But he鈥檚 such a good writer (which comes through in the smooth translation), and his narrator is so savagely funny, insightful and demented that the entire thing goes down like an excellent meal 鈥� with a slightly nasty aftertaste because of the subject matter.
Two middle-aged couples dine out at an expensive Amsterdam restaurant. As they go through each extravagant, rather absurd course (presided over by a memorable restaurant worker who points at things with his pinky!), we flash back to scenes involving their children. The quartet are dining out to discuss an incident that may affect everyone鈥檚 future.
Despite the contrived setting 鈥� I doubt they would meet in such a public way to talk about such a sensitive, private matter 鈥� the book is cleverly constructed. And narrator Paul, a former history teacher who resents his boorish older brother Serge鈥檚 political success, plays with our sympathies.
At first we鈥檙e on Paul鈥檚 side; he鈥檚 amusing, self-deprecating and his cutting social observations (about the restaurant, about his brother) seem as sharp as a chef's knife. But as the night goes on and he fills us in on his past 鈥� and that of his wife, Claire, and his son, Michel 鈥� things become more sinister. Then they become downright creepy.
The disturbing act at the centre of the book brings up lots of ethical and moral questions, and Koch handles the teasing out of this incident brilliantly. He鈥檚 less successful near the end, where he practically rushes through to the denouement.
But the jagged little pieces of this narrative fit together into one horrific portrait of family life. I鈥檓 definitely going to read Koch鈥檚 .
But he鈥檚 such a good writer (which comes through in the smooth translation), and his narrator is so savagely funny, insightful and demented that the entire thing goes down like an excellent meal 鈥� with a slightly nasty aftertaste because of the subject matter.
Two middle-aged couples dine out at an expensive Amsterdam restaurant. As they go through each extravagant, rather absurd course (presided over by a memorable restaurant worker who points at things with his pinky!), we flash back to scenes involving their children. The quartet are dining out to discuss an incident that may affect everyone鈥檚 future.
Despite the contrived setting 鈥� I doubt they would meet in such a public way to talk about such a sensitive, private matter 鈥� the book is cleverly constructed. And narrator Paul, a former history teacher who resents his boorish older brother Serge鈥檚 political success, plays with our sympathies.
At first we鈥檙e on Paul鈥檚 side; he鈥檚 amusing, self-deprecating and his cutting social observations (about the restaurant, about his brother) seem as sharp as a chef's knife. But as the night goes on and he fills us in on his past 鈥� and that of his wife, Claire, and his son, Michel 鈥� things become more sinister. Then they become downright creepy.
The disturbing act at the centre of the book brings up lots of ethical and moral questions, and Koch handles the teasing out of this incident brilliantly. He鈥檚 less successful near the end, where he practically rushes through to the denouement.
But the jagged little pieces of this narrative fit together into one horrific portrait of family life. I鈥檓 definitely going to read Koch鈥檚 .
Displaying 1 - 30 of 20,692 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.