Reviewed by Kristin
Serge Lohman is a name known throughout the Netherlands;
he’s destined to be the next prime minister, after all. He’s a man of the people, a pillar of the
community, liked and admired by all.
Well, by almost all.
Paul Lohman has always felt a tension between himself and
his big brother Serge. You can hear the
distaste in his voice as he draws out his brother’s name: S e r g
e. Serge, with his perfect wife
Babette and his three children, including one adopted from Africa. Serge, who can call an exclusive restaurant to
reserve a table for that night, when anyone else would need to call months in
advance. Serge, who thinks he always, always, knows best.
Paul and Claire agreed to meet Serge and Babette for dinner
to discuss an incident involving their teenage sons—a very serious
incident. Paul and Claire have always
given their son Michel quite a bit of freedom, but are also fiercely protective
of him. Serge and Babette feel the same
way about Rick, as well as their adopted son Beau. As the teenagers were walking home from an
evening out, they encountered a situation and took actions which could impact
their lives forever.
The Dinner begins with a slow
burn. Tensions are hinted at, but not fully
revealed by Paul in the narrator’s voice.
Paul’s impatience with Serge; his concern for his wife, his
sister-in-law, his son; all become apparent as the meal goes on. The characters are multi-faceted and revealed
one layer at a time as past happenings are woven into the story along with the
current troubles.
Dark secrets emerge and all is not as it appears. As the story goes on, the reader begins to
wonder who to like, who to have sympathies for, and who to hate. Questions of inherent good or evil and nature
versus nurture arise. The disturbing
undertones running throughout the plot begin to come to the light, but perhaps
not entirely. Readers expecting a fully
resolved solution may not be satisfied, but those who enjoy a convoluted plot which
keeps you guessing will enjoy this novel.
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