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The Dinner - Herman Koch
The Dinner
by: (author)
3.38 20
"A European Gone Girl." --The Wall Street JournalAn internationally bestselling phenomenon: the darkly suspenseful, highly controversial tale of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives -- all over the course of one meal.It's a summer's evening in Amsterdam, and two... show more
"A European Gone Girl." --The Wall Street JournalAn internationally bestselling phenomenon: the darkly suspenseful, highly controversial tale of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives -- all over the course of one meal.It's a summer's evening in Amsterdam, and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. Between mouthfuls of food and over the polite scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse -- the banality of work, the triviality of the holidays. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened.     Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act; an act that has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable, insulated worlds of their families. As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children. As civility and friendship disintegrate, each couple show just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love.     Tautly written, incredibly gripping, and told by an unforgettable narrator, The Dinner promises to be the topic of countless dinner party debates. Skewering everything from parenting values to pretentious menus to political convictions, this novel reveals the dark side of genteel society and asks what each of us would do in the face of unimaginable tragedy.From the Hardcover edition.
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Format: ebook
ISBN: 9780385346849 (0385346840)
Publisher: Hogarth
Pages no: 304
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
Confuzzled Books
Confuzzled Books rated it
4.0 Dark Family Secrets Make A Dark Family
The Dinner starts with two brothers and their wives at a fancy restaurant in The Netherlands. The one brother is a politician and the other a businessman out of work because of an illness. They both have teenage sons who seem to get along. The way the cousins get along and spend their time is what ...
Joelle's Bibliofile
Joelle's Bibliofile rated it
4.0 The Dinner
Herman Koch’s The Dinner, translated from the Dutch, is set in modern Amsterdam. Most of the novel’s action takes place over the course of an expensive dinner endured by two couples at an upscale restaurant. The narrator, Paul, begins by expressing his dread over the upcoming evening and alludes t...
Sheila's Reads
Sheila's Reads rated it
4.0 THE DINNER by Herman Koch
Paul and Claire meet his brother, Serge and his wife Babette, for dinner one evening to talk about their children. Serge is running for Prime Minister and wants to do damage control. The other three have other ideas. The story is told in flashbacks of the relationships and events of Paul's life....
Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents
Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents rated it
3.0 The Dinner
3.5 starsI don't know what to say about this book. Everyone in it seems to be crazy. I didn't know what was going on at first. Now that I've finished I don't know how to rate it. It's a weird story, but it's uniquely weird. I just don't know. This book is an experience for sure.
Cody's Bookshelf
Cody's Bookshelf rated it
3.0 THE DINNER Review
The most remarkable, and frustrating, thing about this novel is the fact that it takes place over the span of one dinner — hence the title. Our main players are two married couples, all with worries and dark motives and problems to work through. Paul is the main character; The Dinner is narrated by ...
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