THE DINNER by Herman Koch

THE DINNER by Herman Koch

There is a certain unspoken level of etiquette that takes place when partaking of a meal in a high class dining establishment. Basically, everyone behaves themselves. I am forever reminded of the scene that takes place in such a dining room, in the movie The Blues Brothers, where Jake and Elwood do their darnedest to create a scene and show no etiquette whatsoever. Fantastic stuff only because it is so unexpected, but also secretly how we would actually like to behave in such a high end place! But as we also know, the surface veneer of a posh place often hides some not so pleasant undercurrents, and it is certainly the case in this gripping and compelling novel, written by an acclaimed Dutch writer, and now translated into English.

A quite innocuous beginning - narrator Paul Lohman and his wife Claire, are meeting Paul's brother Serge and his wife Babette for dinner. Paul loathes Serge and everything he stands for. He and Claire are united on this, and also feel very sorry for the long suffering Babette. Serge is fairly famous - he is the opposition candidate in the upcoming national elections, and if all goes well, likely to be the country's next prime minister. Paul cannot think of a more inappropriate individual to be in charge of anything. So far nothing too much to worry about, shaping up to be an interesting evening with some underlying conflict.

It didn't take very long, however, for me to feel like I was reading one of the masterful Ian McEwan novels - Black Dogs, Enduring Love or Amsterdam.  Oh my goodness, the parallels are uncanny - secrets slowly being disclosed, disturbing events, relationships not quite as you expect them to be, people who are a little more alarming and scary than you expect, relationships presented from different points of view,  - it is very, very good. I can't give anymore of the plot away, except to say that the other main characters in the story are the sons of Paul and Serge, and Serge and Babette's adopted son. And the lengths a parent will go to protect his or her child.

At the centre of the whole book is Paul, who has plenty of secrets of his own, and what a complicated human being he is!  Structured around a five course meal - aperitif, appetiser, main course, dessert and digestif, the descriptions of the food being served are sublime, complicated and delicious. And prove a wonderful distraction to the action taking place at the table. I loved this, gosh it was a good read! And leaves you with a chill at the end .