Review: The Dinner

Mostly I'm a kindhearted person.  But the truth is, I have a nasty streak.  Let me be clear! In no way am I a threat to society!  In fact, I'm kind of a goody-two-shoes.  Still, I'm a flawed human being.  I smile and laugh. I cry and sneer.

Being so flawed, I find myself drawn to black humor.  Humor of the, "That's awful! Haha!" variety.  Along with that, I have a sympathy for crooked characters.  And I appreciate the exorcism of human demons through fiction. All of this is to say, I loved Herman Koch's The Dinner.  

The narrator of The Dinner is a Dutchman named Paul.  He, his wife, his brother, and his sister-in-law, gather one evening for dinner at an upscale restaurant.  They meet to discuss their teenage sons, who have committed a shocking crime...  Which is gradually revealed in bits and pieces.

As readers, we take in all of this information through Paul alone, and his cognitions are both hyperactive and deranged.  Is he an unreliable narrator? Absolutely.  While reading, you can occasionally glimpse a glimmer of reality through the fog of Paul's perceptions, and the stark contrast often provoked my disbelieving laughter.  He's a fun narrator — if you happen to be fascinated by behavior on the psychopathic/sociopathic spectrum.  His rhetoric is utterly insane!

Just so, reading the book is a twisty ride.  I was amazed by how fast I was turning the pages, because the plot was miniscule.  For the most part, the book's events take place during a single night, so the main heft of the book is the gradual revelation of Paul's character, the slow understanding of his son's crime, and a crazy amount of detail (emphasis on the crazy.)  Although, for having a tiny plot, the book had a great sense of suspense.  In many cases, Paul reacts to information before he shares it with us — we hear the scream before we see the monster.

Despite loving this book — I give it five north stars out of five — I do understand that it won't appeal to everyone.  If, especially, you're put off by depraved characters — or if justice helps you fall asleep at night — maybe pass on The Dinner.