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A review by lauraborkpower
The Dinner by Herman Koch
3.0
We chose this book for our October "creepy" book-club read, and it was a perfect choice. It's not a horror book, but it's just awful -- in a good, "ooh, I hate this, but I can't stop reading" way.
Koch's first person narration sets us up to sympathize with Paul: he adores his wife and would much rather be spending a quiet night hanging out with just her; his brother is a pretentious and self-absorbed politician who makes everything, including a simple dinner reservation, about him. Of course we're on Team Paul.
But then the onion starts to peel and we realize that Paul's not a terrifically reliable narrator, and there's a lot more going on here than it first seemed. With each detail and anecdote, I became more and more uncomfortable, and I loved it. These characters are all playing a game, and it's really only Serge -- our unlikable brother -- who is straightforward. Sort of.
I could have done without the biological sub-plot: Paul's illness and the subsequent curiosity about whether or not Claire got an amniocentesis. It didn't matter to me, and it's a lot more interesting to simply draw a straight line between Paul's and Michel's behavior.
But overall, it's icky, uncomfortable, and enjoyable.
Koch's first person narration sets us up to sympathize with Paul: he adores his wife and would much rather be spending a quiet night hanging out with just her; his brother is a pretentious and self-absorbed politician who makes everything, including a simple dinner reservation, about him. Of course we're on Team Paul.
But then the onion starts to peel and we realize that Paul's not a terrifically reliable narrator, and there's a lot more going on here than it first seemed. With each detail and anecdote, I became more and more uncomfortable, and I loved it. These characters are all playing a game, and it's really only Serge -- our unlikable brother -- who is straightforward. Sort of.
I could have done without the biological sub-plot: Paul's illness and the subsequent curiosity about whether or not Claire got an amniocentesis. It didn't matter to me, and it's a lot more interesting to simply draw a straight line between Paul's and Michel's behavior.
But overall, it's icky, uncomfortable, and enjoyable.