The Dinner in Around the Year in 52 Books

Feb 15, 2013 Ann rated it really liked it

Shelves: suspense, murder, politics, literary-fiction, psychological-suspense, the-netherlands, family-relationships

There's something satisfying about reading a novel is nothing like you expected, and that surprises you more and more as it goes. (view spoiler) I didn't think this had quite the un-put-downable quality that I've liked in other psychological suspense novels, but it's definitely worth reading. ...more

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May 17, 2014 miteypen rated it liked it

Someone suggested that this book was similar to Defending Jacob but better. Both are about parents dealing with the (alleged) criminal acts of their sons and the moral dilemma posed by the question: How far would you go to defend your child? I preferred Defending Jacob mainly because I felt that it was more subtle. In The Dinner, the "bad guys" are much more clearly cut and there isn't as much mystery surrounding the crime itself.

What makes this book especially interesting is that it is an exce ...more

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Jan 30, 2019 Graceann rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: general-fiction, pop-sugar-2019

It's not too terribly often that I finish a book and say "dafuq did I just read?" Not in the "wow, that was heavy and it's going to take some time to process" way, but in the "how high would I have to be to have enjoyed that?" way.

Two brothers and their wives get together at a fancy restaurant to discuss something deeply disturbing that their children have done. The story actually starts off well, in a Bonfire of the Vanities, Notes on a Scandal sort of way. Nobody is particularly likeable or ev It's not too terribly often that I finish a book and say "dafuq did I just read?" Not in the "wow, that was heavy and it's going to take some time to process" way, but in the "how high would I have to be to have enjoyed that?" way.

Two brothers and their wives get together at a fancy restaurant to discuss something deeply disturbing that their children have done. The story actually starts off well, in a Bonfire of the Vanities, Notes on a Scandal sort of way. Nobody is particularly likeable or even redeemable. Even the secondary characters are fairly full of unearned superiority. But that's kind of awesome. There is a sequence about the servers' habit at chi-chi poo-poo restaurants of pointing at each item on your plate, with a pinkie finger, and describing where it was sourced. Never an index finger; never a full hand - always the pinkie. It was spot on and very amusing. There is also the unspoken communication that goes on between people who have been together a long time. That was uncannily accurate, as those of us who can read our partners' mood from their raised eyebrow can attest, and it was fun to read.

But then, things went so far off the rails that it was like the train crash scene in Buster Keaton's The General. Idiotic choices abound. Selfishness, untreated mental illness, political ambition, unhinged parental love, and a dozen or so other rancid types of pasta are thrown at the wall here. Instead of sticking, they just pull the wall down onto themselves. The protagonist, whose first-person account this is, is convinced of his own superior intelligence (all evidence provided by his actions to the contrary). His family members are each jerks in their own special, separate ways, too.

I happily get on board with characters who are venal, lacking in decency, sometimes even stupid (if that's played for laughs), but if there isn't any compelling reason behind it, the story loses my attention pretty quickly. By about the halfway mark, The Dinner was a slog for me, it wasn't amusing, entertaining, informative or even interesting. It was just ugly people doing ugly things for ugly reasons (or for no reason), and that gets boring superfast.

I see by the other GoodReads reviews that The Dinner is a particularly polarizing book - either one loves it or really, really hates it. I wanted to be the former but I'm leaning toward the latter. I didn't hate it; I didn't want to grind the pages into pulp and bury them in the garden. I was just annoyed that the beginning of the story, which held promise for a fun, twisted read, turned out to be a frustrating waste of my time. ...more

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Jul 23, 2013 Melissa Seng rated it liked it

Very interesting concept. Disappointed with ending.

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Feb 01, 2013 Jason McKinney rated it liked it

Although there isn't one likeable character in this (in fact, the protagonist and his wife are morally bankrupt cockroaches), I can see why it's been such a bestseller worldwide. There is nothing redemptive or sympathetic about these people, but watching their behavior and machinations is like watching a trainwreck -- I just couldn't look away. This has been compared to Gone Girl, but other than the various twists and surprising plot developments, it has very little in common with that. ...more

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Feb 14, 2013 HeatherLynn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc

Indigo spotlight title.
Wish folks would stop comparing this to Gone Girl. I disagree. Glad I read it, international best seller. Good fodder for book clubs.
Not a happy read. Well constructed, incredibly disturbing. Ultimately dissatisfying .

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