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A review by luluwoohoo
The Dinner by Herman Koch
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The Dinner by Herman Koch
☀️☀️
A glaringly dark and drawn out story that didn't do anything for me.
I can see what Koch was trying to do...I just didn't enjoy it. Unlikeable characters can be done well, with depth and growth, but here I couldn't find redeemable qualities in almost anyone throughout the whole novel. Even the 'good guy' wasn't given enough to be sympathetic.
The plot is painfully slow to the point of being irritating - it's not an exaggeration to say that nothing significant occurs until the final 50 pages. The build up was interesting in the beginning but by the end I was convinced the payoff wouldn't be enough for all of the palaver, and I was right. The flashbacks, at least, were spaced well to reveal Paul's character, but the reveal itself didn't evoke anything in me.
Koch's take on mental health and medical issues throughout were uneducated and downright harmful. There was so little care taken with the examination that I was left deeply uncomfortable by the portrayal.
For a book whose pitch was enticing, I was bitterly disappointed and couldn't really identify any aspects that I enjoyed other than that it was a quick read to finish.
☀️☀️
A glaringly dark and drawn out story that didn't do anything for me.
I can see what Koch was trying to do...I just didn't enjoy it. Unlikeable characters can be done well, with depth and growth, but here I couldn't find redeemable qualities in almost anyone throughout the whole novel. Even the 'good guy' wasn't given enough to be sympathetic.
The plot is painfully slow to the point of being irritating - it's not an exaggeration to say that nothing significant occurs until the final 50 pages. The build up was interesting in the beginning but by the end I was convinced the payoff wouldn't be enough for all of the palaver, and I was right. The flashbacks, at least, were spaced well to reveal Paul's character, but the reveal itself didn't evoke anything in me.
Koch's take on mental health and medical issues throughout were uneducated and downright harmful. There was so little care taken with the examination that I was left deeply uncomfortable by the portrayal.
For a book whose pitch was enticing, I was bitterly disappointed and couldn't really identify any aspects that I enjoyed other than that it was a quick read to finish.
"Something had now taken place that kept alive my hopes of an explosion later in the evening. It's like a pistol in a stage play: when someone waves a pistol during the first act, you can bet your bottom dollar that someone will be shot with it before the curtain falls. That's the law of drama."