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. 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. 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. If the murder at the cash machine is revealed, it will cost him his political career.A 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. According to the latest opinion polls Serge Lohman is set to become the new prime minister of the Netherlands in a few months.

The father of the other boy, Rick, the ‘hanger on’, is Paul’s brother Serge. He feels responsible for his son’s behaviour. He recognises a lot of himself in Michel, not lastly his proclivity for violence. Paul wants to protect his son at all costs. The narrator of the story is Paul Lohman Michel’s father. These sons, Michel and Rick, have committed a heinous crime after a school party. They make small talk about subjects like the latest films and their holiday plans, before getting to the issue at hand: their sons’ future. Two married couples go out for dinner at a chic restaurant.

How far does this parental protection go when this child has done something that cannot possibly be justified – something that can ruin his life, that can put him in prison for years?

How far are you prepared to go as a parent to protect your own child?

The dinner by herman koch