My Beauty Salon Blueprint

Dinner (Herman Koch)

ORIGINAL TITLE: Het Diner
TRANSLATION: Marta Bernal Arguilé

AUTHOR: Herman Koch

EDITORIAL: Salamandra

ISBN: 978-84-9838-303 -4
PAG: 288
PRICE: 17 €

BACK:

Two couples have been summoned to dinner in a modern and exclusive restaurant in Amsterdam. While sipping an aperitif and chat with apparent disregard for fashion's latest film and his plans for holidays, are aware that sooner or later, should address the uncertain and pressing issue that has been fulfilled: the future of Michel and Rick, her children fifteen years, there is evidence that may be involved in a case of serious violence. So, after dessert, when dinner comes to its closing stages, the tension between the guests will have reached its peak and the chain of secrets and revelations converge in a dramatic final in which nobody can wield his innocence.

This is a novel that I wanted to read when I saw the review he had written in his blog Ángel Iván "artist's books blind . It reminded me slightly "We must talk about Kevin", but now, after reading it, I have to say that all they have in common is the concern of parents for their children, but in each novel, the facts are quite different, although serious in both cases. I can say is the best I've read in this 2011. I liked everything and as I read it in one sitting.

This novel comes to Spain with critical acclaim and sales in the Netherlands, having won the Audience Award. I do not know if this will sell as many copies as in the Netherlands, but so far the few reviews I've read are very positive and I I have no choice but to join them.

This is the story of two good families, who meet at a restaurant to discuss what attitude to take to a terrible incident in which their children are involved. We could be in any city in the Netherlands and in the same era, in fact the author does not give us none of this data, but not necessary. If you read the novel will recognize these facts not so long ago having heard any news.

The restaurant brings together two partners, Paul Lohman and his wife Claire and his brother, Serge Lohman, a politician with a good chance of winning the forthcoming elections and his wife, Babette. Serge is one of those pedants who can afford to dine in a restaurant like the one found by calling the same night, when the usual waiting list is seven months. Of those to whom you want people to recognize you when you enter a room, while the other is a teacher who is low and is not passing his prime. A priori Serge is the least I dropped of the two brothers.
The children of both (Michel and Rick) seem to be involved in a terrible incident (initially unintended) in which someone has lost their lives despite coming together to talk about it, dinner plate and is running between plate, delaying the conversation to desserts, in the meantime will spend more time talking about things "trivial" like holidays or the last movie you saw at the cinema, but also thanks to these talks we will know more in depth these two families.

The book is divided into six parts (aperitif, starter, main course, dessert, Digestive and gratuity) each of which begins with a brief but very detailed explanation of the maître on what to take and about the provenance of every morsel . I do not know if you use this resource to laugh at these restaurants, where final bills are often indecent, considering that the dishes come to the table more empty full, or to take some iron to the main theme of the book, but in any case, I could not but smile every time the little finger of each dish pointed maître dissecting all the ingredients.

The narrator of the story will be one of the guests. Specifically Paul Lohman, Michel's father. Everyone seems to acknowledge the guilt of their children, but what to do about it? Here the views are no longer the same.

Herman Koch

As parents, should protect their children and prevent this "minor incident" will annoy all your future? At the end of the day nobody suspected. It is true that a camera recorded part of what happened, but the blur makes it difficult to identify the teens, but parents have no doubts. Claire knows that her son confessed it, and Paul because despite the lack of clarity of the images was not difficult to identify your child when the news broke on television. So does Beau (the adopted son of Serge and Babette) also recorded it all and threatens to hang pictures on YouTube if you do not get anything in return. What to do such a ballot? Should report the facts? How will this affect the political career of Serge? But above all, why some kids who are good students, who have the education estate, recently involved in a similar situation? The truth is that the answers will have during the reading of the novel, thanks to Paul Lohman analyzing each of these, leading to scenes of her past to know them a little more.

I must say that here it has left me a little bit of self analysis that Paul makes of himself. It is the character that has stopped most the author, shows a series of violent episodes in which he has been involved, and that certain medications are "smoothed."

The novel I loved, did not know this author, but his writing I liked it and has managed (as Ángel Iván said in his review) not only me blood boil, but I would fear for example, the thought that the facts Claire. I have been quite cold to her and her husband and one comes to ask how the screen is in many people and sometimes what is hidden behind the faces and the friendly faces and polite.
has been able to outline in detail all these characters, after initially presented habérnoslos broadly but very clear. A story behind a lot of complaint to how we take things very often, a critique of the society in which we live where there is no better blind as those who do not want to see and with an ending that left me hair like hooks.

really, highly recommended. Good history and good literature.

Serge, be realistic. Nothing happened. Nobody has been arrested. Do not even have suspected. Only we know what happened. There is simply too little to sacrifice the future of our children for fifteen years. I'm not talking about your future. You will do what is right, but you can not drag anyone else. And let alone your own child, no let alone mine. The show as a pure act of sacrifice on your part: Serge Lohman, the ambitious politician, our new prime minister gives up his career because he can live with that secret. In fact, the phrase should read secret scandal. It seems very noble, but it is an act of pure selfishness.

Photograph of the author:
http://www.elcultural.es/noticias/LETRAS/981/Herman_Koch-_La_frontera_entre_el_bien_y_el_mal_es_muy _