The Dinner by Herman Koch

The Dinner by Herman Koch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Published: Feb 2013
Translated from Dutch
Hogarth Publishing
Original pub: Jan 2009
Rating: 4/5
Fiction, thriller, psychological suspense


What can I say that hasn't already been said about this book?!  I read the audio version and totally agree with those who state the narrator truly made the story easier to digest. Another common discussion is its comparison to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn which I also read. Unless comparing the dark psychological nature of the stories, they are essentially incomparable, in my opinion.

I enjoyed this book since I am amused by dark psychological dramas in which you are left with many questions unanswered. This is a great Book Club read for that reason alone. Once I finished this book I immediately wanted to discuss it and compare my thoughts with others. Since I had no one available I turned to the web discussions about the book! Just as I thought, numerous ideas, comments and hypotheses regarding the story that coincided with my own.

There are so many themes apparent in this novel that to comment too deeply would spoil the feast for the reader. It has been determined outright that Paul, the narrator, is completely unreliable...that is a complete understatement, in my opinion! There truly are no redeemable main characters in the whole novel! There are many unfortunate "by-standers" who are confronted by these loathsome characters who are presented ironically as gentile to whom people should feel honored  to cater.

Definitely not a book for those easily offended by foul language, deeply grotesque thoughts or psychological mind twisters.

Herman Koch (1953) is known as a television producer and a writer. The book 'Het diner', published in 2009, was his breakthrough in the Netherlands. It was published in 17 countries. It was partly based on a true story involving a homeless woman named, María del Rosario Endrinal Petit, in Barcelona (Spain), in December 2005. 

https://bookwormreviewblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-dinner-by-herman-koch_27.html?m=1

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/609021291