This is not an easy book to review without spoiling it for others.
How far will we follow our instincts or do our duty when it comes to the welfare of our children and the good of society?
This book is at times mordantly funny in its observations of the way we live now, but it loses its way a bit when it becomes time for Herman Koch to bring the threads of the plot together for the conclusion.
There are suggestions in places that the translation into English from the Dutch was a bit rough and ready. Overall, however, the central idea is interesting and the book is worth reading.

I really liked this book. I think it is written a little slow in the beginning...too many details, but once the story starts to build you really get caught up in it and the surprises just keep on coming until you reach the very end. It's the kind of story you read and just shake your head at the end trying to imagine if these characters could actually exist. Worth the read!

A dark topic which centered most of our discussion. What would we do if one of our children had participated in such a horrific act?

I didn't really 'get" what the book was about until halfway through it. Details are missing and then filled in in a strange order. I haven't read "Gone Girl" but find this book kind of a twist on "Defending Jacob." While I did not enjoy this book, I can see where it lends itself to some good discussion.

This book was very similar to Defending Jacob. If I had read The Dinner before Defending Jacob I think I would have liked it better. There are many parallels between the two books. Both books made for lengthy discussions.

A good, interesting read about a family.

Wonderfully complex and chilling narrative. The story is told during the events of a single dinner attended by two brothers and their wives. Intertwined are their personal lives, children and human foibles. the author is very clever and will play on your sympathies for each character.

This is a very well written dark book. Although very disturbing, it was great for discussion!

Loved the style of writing. Dark theme that was uncomfortable.

You\\\'ll know what\\\'s coming long, long, long before you get there.

Read this for book club, and would not recommend it for other clubs...

This book is a great conversation piece. The characters provide a solid base for the book and it\\\\\\\'s interesting the different paths each family chooses to take. I think we can all put ourselves in their shoes and come up with different outcomes...a good read to challenge your club with!

very boring

This book is disturbing and fascinating and I could not put it down. Frighteningly insightful. If Holden Caulfield grew up and had kids he could be a parent at this dinner. So subtly twisted!

The novel is a good read, but boy are the characters un-relatable. The only character you have compassion for is the victim of a crime so horrible it makes those involved only appear to be less than human.

Ah, The Dinner. While our book club read this book and had a great discussion, most didn't like the overall tone of the book. None of the characters are redeeming. Personally? I didn't care what happened to any of them! All were so self-involved and dysfunctional that when bad things occurred, I did not feel an ounce of remorse for anyone. I recommend this for book clubs because it does spark a good discussion but I definitely disagree with it being compared to Gone Girl.

The Dinner was a dark story that shed little light on a happy ending. Two grown brothers, one a well-to-do politician and the other a school teacher on what seems to be a permanent leave of absence, and their wife deal with the fate of their teenage sons who have committed a terrible act. It ran a close race with the theme of "Defending Jacob" but with much less of a plot. I did, however, like the rhythm of the story, the style in which it was written - even a bit humerous at times, and the dinner theme was a new approach to telling a story. Each course gave you a bit more insight into the trouble at hand. The appetizer was just that -- a teaser to the characters at hand, course 2 dug a bit deeper and by the main entre the characters inside and even outside the restaurant were feeling the turmoil. I loved the waiter who served everything with his pinkie sticking out and how he would wave it across and close to the contents of each plate as it was served. I felt it was a subtle accusatory gesture by the author to question how much, if any, the table guests played a role in the downfall of their respective sons. A unique writing concept, a story that had much potential, but the dessert and after dinner coffee just didn't satisfy me. The Dinner left me hungry for a bit more of the hows and whys of the story. Perhaps the author should have let the story simmer a bit more before commiting to paper.

I found this book fascinating. The author creates tension with personal conflicts not directly related to events at hand. He chooses to force you to use your imagination by deliberately stating that certain details are not pertinent to the story, are they? The characters you start out liking are not the ones you have compassion for at the end. A book that you won't soon forget.

What the heck was that? No tip. Although, ultamately I liked this book and it was well translated, so it must be well written in dutch, what a downer of a book. It is not like Gone Girl, as some reviews state, I say it is more like Defending Jacob.

This book was shocking along the lines of Gone Girl, I just couldn\\\\\\\'t believe what kept happening. I was taken by the author to believe one thing and then had everything flipped upside down! Disturbing, but a great read!

This book was not liked by any of us, but I have to say we had the most lengthy and interesting conversations about it. The questions were thought provoking and interesting at the end of the book.

This book pulls you in from the start. You don\\\'t want to put it down because you can\\\'t wait to find out what is going to unfold next .

What would you do to protect your child and family? That was the leading question we had after reading this. Many were reminded of Defending Jacob-good discussion book though a bit unsettling.

if you think why am I ready this gloomy book? it is for the discussions it will provoke. Great for book clubs.

Not a fan of this book. It was overly wordy. The author jumped around so much I got confused. I had a hard time finishing this one.

Annoying read with little research

The storyline kept jumping around, the characters were un-relatable, and the conclusion left a lot to be desired. I did not enjoy the book but it was a good topic for discussion at book club.

The Dinner keeps you reading as it continues to twist and turn to some surprising events.

Quite disliked this book. Not one character was likable or interesting. The story was actually rather evil. It's only positive was that it was fairly short and quite easy to read.

The book was good for group discussion and we had mixed reviews. All agreed it was in the vein of Defending Jacob.

I could not relate to any character nor find anyone likeable. These were terrible people and the main narrator was annoying the way he told the story.

This book frustrated me in so many ways. It took forever to get to the point. The narrator would intentionally withhold information. Grrr. The story wss so dark and filled with awful people. I am kind of glad I read this. It was great for discussion but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.

Because I am inherently buoyant and kind person, this book was very difficult for me. I listened to the audio version. I had to stop and return several times for the intense negativity got to me and I needed a break!
However, our book club discussion was excellent and made my uncomfortable journey worthwhile.

I really appreciated the author’s interesting writing techniques, which kept the novel suspenseful. Although the narrator bothered me at times, it made the book come full circle.

We gave this a B

Startling insight into the possibility that darkness can be triggered in any of us.