The Dinner by Herman Koch

The Dinner (Atlantic Cult Classics)

by Herman Koch

A summer's evening in Amsterdam and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant. Between mouthfuls of food and over the polite scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse - the banality of work, the triviality of holidays. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened. Each couple has a fifteen year old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act; an act that has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable insulated worlds of their families. As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children, and as civility and friendship disintegrates, each couple show just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love.

Reviewed by lovelybookshelf on

4 of 5 stars

Share
This was one wild, crazy, twisted ride. Lots of messed up rationalization going on that made for cutting social commentary. The story unfolds slowly, but once things start rolling it is psychologically fascinating and absolutely gripping. And even when you’ve figured something out, when your suspicion is finally confirmed Herman Koch still manages to punch you in the gut!

More of my thoughts on this title can be found on my blog at Lovely Bookshelf.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 4 April, 2015: Finished reading
  • 4 April, 2015: Reviewed