The Dinner

A Novel

By: Herman Koch, Sam Garrett - translator

Narrated by: Clive Mantle

Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The darkly suspenseful tale of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives—all over the course of one meal. Now a major motion picture.

“Chilling, nasty, smart, shocking, and unputdownable.”—Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl

It’s a summer’s evening in Amsterdam, and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. Between mouthfuls of food and over the polite scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse—the banality of work, the triviality of the holidays. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened. Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act—an act that has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable, insulated worlds of their families.

As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children. As civility and friendship disintegrate, each couple shows just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love.

Tautly written, incredibly gripping, and told by an unforgettable narrator, The Dinner promises to be the topic of countless dinner party debates. Skewering everything from parenting values to pretentious menus to political convictions, this novel reveals the dark side of genteel society and asks what each of us would do in the face of unimaginable tragedy.

©2009 Herman Koch; Translation © 2012 by Sam Garrett (P)2013 AudioGO

takes a while, but its worth getting into

What made the experience of listening to The Dinner the most enjoyable?

Im not ashamed to say I cried while listening to this novel. It takes a while to get into this novel, but the minute it starts to unfold on you, it hits you like brick

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved how each one of the characters have their own memorable moment in this book, down to the waiter.

Which scene was your favorite?

Spolier Alert! My favorite scene had to be the father talking to the store owner about the broken window. It just reminded me that little things really imapct people in ways you cant forsee.

UNIQUE AND RIVETING--you won't forget this one for

If you could sum up The Dinner in three words, what would they be?

mind twisting and amusing

What other book might you compare The Dinner to and why?

best thing is that you can't compare it....it is so fresh and unexpected

What does Clive Mantle bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

he has just the right tone and attitude....I don't know if it would have had the same witty irony without him

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

couldn't wait to get back to it

Any additional comments?

The Dinner is perplexing and funny in the most disturbing way.....never a dull passage....nothing like it out there....and performed just right;.

THIS BOOK DRAGGED ON AND ON AND ON

What did you like best about The Dinner? What did you like least?

NOT MUCH. THE READER SOUNDS VERY SNOOTY, THE STORY DRAGGED, AND AFTER READING THIS I WONDERED JUST WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS BOOK?

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

IT WOULD HAVE DRAGGED LESS, MORE CONCENTRATION ON THE STORY AND LESS ON HOW MEALS ARE SERVED AND DESCRIBING EERY ITEM BEING EATEN.

What three words best describe Clive Mantle’s performance?

STUFFY, CLEAR, WOODY

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

NOT UNLESS THEY VAMPED IT UP AN AWFUL LOT.

Best book I’ve read all year

This is my second book by the author. What a marvelous book! Full of twists throughout, you can never pin down the climax, but what an excellent ending it is. I won’t say more because it might be a spoiler, but please read this book. The only caution is you may not see your own family the same way again. Five stars, which I rarely give.

Evil takes many forms

Disturbing novel slowly explores the nature of evil . The beginning dinner /section perhaps dragged on too long but attempted to set the stage for the characters. Unexpected plot and dark .

An interesting read but not the best

This book takes place over a dinner hosted by a famous politician for his wife, brother and sister-in-law. It's narrated from the brother's point of view. The family keeps up pretensions all while a dark secret slowly emerges over the course of the evening. It has some humor, it's well written, the narrator is good, and the plot is unique and fresh, but it was just not that entertaining or thought provoking.

Excellent story made even better by the narrator

Tremendous story. Darkly funny (very darkly), thought-provoking, and suspenseful. I read some so-so reviews of the book on Amazon, and I think Clive Mantle really helps make this story come to life, much more so than if I had just read the book myself. He really adds a depth to the character of Paul that made it so much more enjoyable. You can almost hear him sneer every time he uses his brother's name. Loved this audiobook. Can't recommend it highly enough.

A BIT SLOW BUT UNDERLYING MEANING IS POWERFUL

Any additional comments?

You have to force yourself to wonder what this novel is all about. Keep going as it unwinds and there is an interesting meaning to the dinner and why the guests are there in fact. I liked it but almost gave up. A bit unusual but for those looking for something different, this is it!

If only I could give 10 stars for the narration

What did you love best about The Dinner?

It's hard to decide what I loved best -- the writing, the translation or the narration.

What did you like best about this story?

There was so much to like about this book -- the humor, the plotting, the performance. It was funny and entertaining, yet thought-provoking as well, raising questions about how far we'd go to earn the love of someone, or to protect someone we love, how important is it to us to keep up appearances, what do status and class mean, what defines "civilized" society, what secrets, prejudices and hatreds do we keep hidden from others ... the thin line between rationality and insanity ... and so on.

Have you listened to any of Clive Mantle’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to any of Clive Mantle's other performances, but I'll be looking for them now. He proves why they use actors to narrate novels. He so embodied the character of Paul it was incredible, conveying in the slightest pause or intake of breath the most subtle emotions. Definitely my favorite narrator so far.

Who was the most memorable character of The Dinner and why?

Paul, the narrator, of course. The story is really about him, and the other characters serve to illuminate who he is.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this book so much I'll be looking for others by Herman Koch.

Grim

I found the story somewhat intriguing but nary a laugh to be had. Even in concentration camps humour is used to get people through. I find it unrealistic to hear a whole book without one light moment, the psychotic laughter of the protagonist aside. It is well written and well paced but frozen at the core. Narrator was great.