This was such an intriguing novel! Herman Koch has written one of the most interesting unreliable narrators I have ever read. We start the novel with the idea that Paul Lohman is your average nice guy who has the misfortune to be the brother of a very famous pompous ass, but through the course of the story we find out that what we believe isn't necessarily so.
The whole story is told through the course of a dinner between Paul and his brother Serge and their wives, from aperitif through dessert. Both couples' teenaged sons have gotten into some trouble together, and the purpose of the dinner is to decide how to deal with that. But through the course of the meal we learn that appearance are deceiving, that things are not always what they seem, and that there are people in this world who are fooling everyone regarding their character and intentions.
Koch writes with humor, acerbity, and suspense. Although I came to like Paul less and less the more I read, I needed to find out how the meal ended, and when it was finished I was both satisfied and disturbed. This is just a really intriguing character study.
The Dinner
No comments:
Post a Comment