The Dinner was translated into English by Sam Garrett, who also translated The Evenings. The success in print led to three separate films, most recently a version staring Richard Gere and Chloë Sevigny, but none of the adaptations were particularly well received. The Dinner is a quick, uncomplicated and entertaining read – perfect for a holiday or lazy day on the sofa. Koch does an excellent job creating a dinner party of characters who are all detestable although during the course of the book their relationships to one another makes the reader occasionally feel pity for them. Through a series of flashbacks, the dinner conversation also provides a good backdrop of how this family has arrived at his moment and despite the limited action, the book keeps the reader intrigued and engaged. It's a summer's evening in Amsterdam, and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. The restaurant in the book is not specified but it is rumoured to be de Kas in Amsterdam.ĭuring the meal – with the chapters entitled ‘aperitif’, ‘main course’ and so-on – it transpires that each couple has a 15-year-old son and the boys have committed a terrible act. An internationally bestselling phenomenon: the darkly suspenseful, highly controversial tale of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives - all over the course of one meal. A former history teacher, Paul and his wife, Claire meet Paul’s brother, politician Serge and his wife Babette for a meal.

The novel, published in English in 2012, follows four main characters during a single summer evening’s dinner. A modern Dutch classic: The Dinner August 17, 2019Ī classic of modern Dutch literature, and a best seller at both home and in the US, The Dinner by Herman Koch explores what families will do to protect their own.

The dinner party herman koch