The Dinner by Herman Koch

Library Assistant, Chestermere Public Library The Novel Book Club met on April 17 to discuss The Dinner by Herman Koch. This book is translated from Dutch and is set in the Netherlands. The basic premise is that two brothers and their wives meet at an upscale restaurant to discuss some issue about their 15 year old sons. The book is divided into sections by the meal, from Aperitif to Dessert and is narrated by Paul Lohman. You learn right away that Paul has some very strong opinions about, well, everything. He picks apart his brother, Serge Lohman, the leader of the opposition who is expected to be elected Prime Minister within the year. He has comments on the black pinafore girls who work at the restaurant and on the food that is served. He frequently refers to incidents, people and even his wife’s illness which he doesn’t elaborate on, saying that you, the reader, don’t need to know the details. You learn early on that things are not right with son Michel, and that Paul is hiding something from his wife Claire (and vice-versa). As the book, and the dinner progresses, the tension between characters rises. The story of how they got to this point is told in flashbacks throughout the dinner courses. I won’t spoil the ending for you, but the characters go too far in their desire to protect their family, and some truly shocking events occur. The book is fairly straight forward, making it easy and quick to read, but leaves you wondering how far you would go to protect your family.
The Chestermere Public Library’s Novel Book Club meets next on Thursday, May 15 at 7:00pm to discuss The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. If you are interested in joining the discussion, ask for the book at the front desk, and then come to the meeting. We would love to see you there!