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Herman Koch’s “The Dinner”

The American Library Association’s Notable Books List (for adults) was announced Sunday, January 26. It includes “The Dinner” by Herman Koch, a contemporary novel first published in the Netherlands in 2009, now available in English.

 The action happens during a dinner at a high-end Amsterdam restaurant. Two brothers and their wives are gathering to discuss their sons. The narrator, one of the brothers, seems to poke fun at every aspect of the restaurant’s style, food, and service. He’s an unemployed teacher, his brother a candidate for prime minister of the country. Slowly we learn that their sons may be responsible for a death. The dinner conversation will address what comes next. In almost comic ways, the dinner is interrupted by telephone calls, trips to the restroom, and other extended absences. The story takes a sharp turn when the narrator reveals his own history of mental illness and violence, building the bridge to events that grow out of control. Koch seems to be almost calling a bluff with violence, probing what can happen when the stakes are that high. It puts the sons’ alarming behavior in an even more alarming context. I couldn’t stop reading, a testimony to Koch’s plotting and pacing.

 Some of the scenes struck me as completely harrowing, partly due to the contrast with the initial setting in the overly civilized restaurant. I appreciated how Koch allowed the narrator’s tone to move from humorous though begrudging to almost monstrous. Looking back, I salute Koch for so deftly combining civilization, humor and violence, thus heightening the impact of all. The references to Tolstoy’s quote, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” remind the reader that this is a distinctive family indeed.

 I recommend this to book groups, readers of suspense, and others who seek books that plumb extreme behavior. The classic book discussion issues of how children are raised, how far parents will go to protect them, how mental illness shapes behavior, and how families communicate are all right here. And more.

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