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Start giftingThe Dinner
A Novel
Narrator
Clive Mantle
This audiobook uses AI narration.
We’re taking steps to make sure AI narration is transparent.
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Translator
Sam Garrett
Length
8 hours 52 minutes
Language
English
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The darkly suspenseful tale of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives—all over the course of one meal. Now a major motion picture.“Chilling, nasty, smart, shocking, and unputdownable.”—Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl
It’s a summer’s evening in Amsterdam, and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. Between mouthfuls of food and over the polite scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse—the banality of work, the triviality of the holidays. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened. Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act—an act that has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable, insulated worlds of their families.
As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children. As civility and friendship disintegrate, each couple shows just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love.
Tautly written, incredibly gripping, and told by an unforgettable narrator, The Dinner promises to be the topic of countless dinner party debates. Skewering everything from parenting values to pretentious menus to political convictions, this novel reveals the dark side of genteel society and asks what each of us would do in the face of unimaginable tragedy.
Herman Koch is the author of several novels and three collections of short stories. The Dinner has been published in twenty-five countries and was the winner of the Publieksprijs Prize in 2009. He currently lives in Amsterdam.
Clive Mantle’s theater work includes Coming Clean, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Educating Rita. He has been nominated for an Olivier Award, and, for his performance as Lennie in Of Mice and Men, he was joint Best Newcomer in the Plays and Players Awards. He has also appeared in many films, including Alien 3 and White Hunter, Black Heart.
Sam Garrett has worked as a literary translator as well as a freelance journalist. His recent translated works include The Cave by Tim Krabbé and Silent Extras by Arnon Grunberg.
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Reviews
“You’ll eat it up, with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”
“A European Gone Girl…The Dinner, a sly psychological thriller that hinges on a horrific crime and its consequences for two families, has become one of spring’s most anticipated suspense novels.”
“The Dinner begins with drinks and dark satire, and goes stealthily and hauntingly from there. It’s chilling, nasty, smart, shocking, and unputdownable. Read the novel in one big gulp, and then make plans with friends—you’ll be desperate to debate this book over cocktails, appetizers, entrees, dessert…and then you still won’t be done talking about it.”
“This chilling novel starts out as a witty look at contemporary manners…before turning into a take-no-prisoners psychological thriller…With dark humor, Koch dramatizes the lengths to which people will go to preserve a comfortable way of life…this is a cunningly crafted thriller that will never allow you to look at a serviette in the same way again.”
“A high-class meal provides an unlikely window into privilege, violence, and madness…Koch’s slow revelation of the central crisis is expertly paced, and he’s opened up a serious question of what parents owe their children and how much of their character is passed on to them…a chilling vision of the ugliness of keeping up appearances.”
“American readers may demand access to all of Koch’s books. If they’re half as good as The Dinner, we’ll want to devour all of them.”
“[A] deliciously Mr. Ripley-esque drama.”
“Mantle’s delivery elevates the plot twists, moral dilemmas, and family relationships, making this a feast worth attending.”
“Rather like The Slap, it is set to become a contentious must-read. It may thrill, chill, or cheat, but it is undeniably riveting.”
“Briskly paced and full of ingenious twists—a compulsive read…for those who can tolerate the unsavory company, The Dinner is a treat they’ll gulp down in one sitting.”
“Koch’s ability to toy with the reader’s alliances while using one family’s distress to consider greater societal ills gives the novel a vital punch.”
“A tart main course that explores how quickly the façade of civility can crumble. It’s hard to digest at times, but with a thought-provoking taste that lingers.”
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