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.