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A review by juandb
The Dinner by Herman Koch
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
A novel whose most enticing element is its plot: two couples meeting at a restaurant to discuss what to do about the horrible act their sons have committed. The complex relationship between the four characters makes the whole affair very entertaining, and it definitely made me want to keep reading till the end. But at the end of the day, I think that's what I'll remember the most from it: that it was entertaining.
Don't get me wrong: the book absolutely accomplishes what it sets out to do, which is to tell an entertaining story that mantains a tense atmosphere throughout. It's not a lifechanger, and it doesn't try to be one. I've read some other reviews that mention how it "makes you reconsider the sort of education we give to our children", and, while I see how one could get that impression, I just don't think the novel explores the subject enough to actually say anything about it. Sure, it describes how witnessing their father being violent could (what a surprise) make a child violent, but that's so obvious that it doesn't even feel like the book is actually saying anything. It feels like reading a book that describes how water freezes at 0°C: no one would call that a "comment on water mechanics"; it's just a fact. Maybe if it hadn't been so direct in how it describes the father's violence, it would have been more effective; but the episodes it narrates are so raw, so exaggeratedly violent, that it almost feels satirical.
Something that I want to mention about the book is how every single character in it (it feels wrong to make such an absolute statement, but I honestly couldn't leave out anyone) is sickeningly immoral. The narrator, his wife, his brother and his sister-in-law. His son as well, and his brothers' two sons. Every single character that has some role in the story is either repugnant from the beginning, or is revealed to be later on. At first I actually thought the narrator's smugness toward his brother would stem from a genuine dislike of his lifestyle and worldview, but both he and his wife are later revealed to be just as crooked. I honestly don't have a problem with reading books with loathsome characters, and this isn't the exception, especially since I got a strong impression that the author was well aware of how horrid they were. I saw the book almost as a window into a world of people with repulsive ideologies, like it was telling me "See? See how awful these people are? The narrator thinks his brother is bad, but in reality he's just as bad as him!"
Overall, as I said, the book is definitely interesting, and I would recommend it to anyone searching for something to grab their attention for a while.
Don't get me wrong: the book absolutely accomplishes what it sets out to do, which is to tell an entertaining story that mantains a tense atmosphere throughout. It's not a lifechanger, and it doesn't try to be one. I've read some other reviews that mention how it "makes you reconsider the sort of education we give to our children", and, while I see how one could get that impression, I just don't think the novel explores the subject enough to actually say anything about it. Sure, it describes how witnessing their father being violent could (what a surprise) make a child violent, but that's so obvious that it doesn't even feel like the book is actually saying anything. It feels like reading a book that describes how water freezes at 0°C: no one would call that a "comment on water mechanics"; it's just a fact. Maybe if it hadn't been so direct in how it describes the father's violence, it would have been more effective; but the episodes it narrates are so raw, so exaggeratedly violent, that it almost feels satirical.
Something that I want to mention about the book is how every single character in it (it feels wrong to make such an absolute statement, but I honestly couldn't leave out anyone) is sickeningly immoral. The narrator, his wife, his brother and his sister-in-law. His son as well, and his brothers' two sons. Every single character that has some role in the story is either repugnant from the beginning, or is revealed to be later on. At first I actually thought the narrator's smugness toward his brother would stem from a genuine dislike of his lifestyle and worldview, but both he and his wife are later revealed to be just as crooked. I honestly don't have a problem with reading books with loathsome characters, and this isn't the exception, especially since I got a strong impression that the author was well aware of how horrid they were. I saw the book almost as a window into a world of people with repulsive ideologies, like it was telling me "See? See how awful these people are? The narrator thinks his brother is bad, but in reality he's just as bad as him!"
Overall, as I said, the book is definitely interesting, and I would recommend it to anyone searching for something to grab their attention for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Xenophobia and Racism