Noah Rabinovic answers “What psychological desease\disorder does...”

Julia asked this question about The Dinner:

What psychological desease\disorder does the main character have? He even takes some pills to treat it, and he thinks that his son has this syndrom (or whatever it is) too? Is that something about anger management? Thank you in advance! =)

Noah Rabinovic I found that this book has really good representations of personality disorders. I saw someone write about how they thought Paul might be Bipolar, and…moreI found that this book has really good representations of personality disorders. I saw someone write about how they thought Paul might be Bipolar, and to be completely honest, I agree. I wouldn't have noticed if not for reading that, however, it is now very clear to me, how Paul writes about "No more peaks and troughs" (Koch 194).His symptoms of intense self image protection give me the feeling he might have BPD as well, which would make sense considering the conditions are often comorbid. It also explains how his psychologist asked him whether he has any kids, as bipolar is considered to be the most heritable mental illness. It's clear there is a lot wrong with the Lohman family. The way that Serge behave is very much "holier than thou", he gives off symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Given the genre of the book, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if Koch had chosen to use the characters as representatives of different personality disorders. For example, Babette exhibits symptoms of Histrionic Personality Disorder, and Michel and Rick exhibit symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder. I feel as though the only character in the book doesn't clearly struggle with a personality based condition would be Claire, yet she sort of turns a blind eye to the crumbling health of those around her, which I believe represents the culture of smiling through the pain and leaving mental health issues untreated. This may be a commentary on the societal standard of bottling up mental issues, since they are "inappropriate" to talk with others about, or too "personal".(less)

flag

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more