A review by kailaelders
The Dinner by Herman Koch

dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

The first twenty chapters really dragged for me. They were full of Paul's exhausting condescension and judgement of everybody around him. He comes across as deeply insecure, misogynistic and violent from the start, although the extent of that violence is gradually revealed to be more and more literal and not just his intrusive thoughts. The central conflict, once it was finally revealed, did pique my interest, but I found the subsequent chapters to have another slow period before things started moving forward again. All the characters are insufferable and in some cases incorrigible, and by the end you're really rooting for their demise or at least some kind of justice. I think the story was intriguing but the way it was packaged just wasn't worth it for me.
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