Amy in Belgium writes:
"Hi Bonnie! I've got another entry for you for The Netherlands, this time: The Dinner (Het Diner) by Herman Koch (2009)."
In
her review of the book today, Amy says:
"It was definitely original, it gives you a good feel for modern life in the Netherlands, and it is a quick read."
The Dinner by Herman Koch (2012 in English), originally published as
Het Diner in Dutch in 2009, has been translated into 33 languages.
Summary: Two
families struggle to make the hardest decision of their lives — all
over the course of one meal.
Between mouthfuls of food and over the polite scrapings of cutlery, the
conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse, but behind the empty words,
terrible things need to be said. 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 disintegrates, these parents show just how far they are
prepared to go to protect those they love.
Maybe the best short summary I've read while writing this post comes from
The Guardian:
"Like We Need to Talk About Kevin, it is about the nature of evil, and the extent to which we can blame parents for the misdeeds of their children."
1 comment:
I agree with the quote from the Guardian, it did have me thinking about the Kevin novel, which I read a few years ago.
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