The Dinner

A Novel

De: Herman Koch, Sam Garrett - translator

Narrado por: Clive Mantle

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

Give it 20 Chapters, Then Decide

Where does The Dinner rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I hated it at first. The first 23ish chapters were slow, tedious, teasing... long winded... all the things I hate about popular literature. But I had to keep listening because the teases did their job of piquing my interest. The payoff is worth it. Absolutely. I understand why this one is regarded as a popular read.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The narrator is not what he seems.

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

This was my first time listening to him. He played the parts well. Sometimes his accent was obnoxious, but it was very suitable for the character.

If you could rename The Dinner, what would you call it?

Blood Loyalty

Any additional comments?

Give it a listen. Just make sure you're willing to invest the time.

One helluva meal!

I had heard about this book but was a little hesitant since it was translated from another language; I wondered if anything would be "lost in translation". Not at all. It's a different, (and a bit disturbing) look at just how far parents will go these days to protect their children. The book rambles a bit in the middle, but overall it is well written. And Clive Mantle NAILS it as the narrator - he is a 10!

I read this because I had to...

Any additional comments?

The book description sounded good. I started listening. Then I had to listen, because I kept thinking, "No". The story would not let me put it down, even though I kept thinking this is droning on and on. I had to know the story. I had to know the ending.

That's a dinner to remember!

What did you like best about this story?

So incredibly surprising. The main characters thoughts as the evening progressed were so engaging. Such a fun and intriguing listen, and yet somewhat disturbing. Overall, not to be missed!

What about Clive Mantle’s performance did you like?

Fantastic, even though he had the wrong accent for the nationality of the characters. He did a great job of all the characters without any annoying voices, such as the wimpy or false falsetto than many male narrators use to do a woman!s voice. I thought he portrayed the main character perfectly.

Any additional comments?

This book is so worth a credit. I love a different and engaging listen!

An unprecedented view into the potential darkness of parenting

Haunting and incredibly insightful. This was a new twist on the unreliable narrator--and in his telling of the story, and his indefatigable effort to remain "the good guy," his flaws are both subtle and remarkable. This novel is not for the impatient, the thoughtless, or the faint of heart.