Two brothers went to dinner at an obviously high-end restaurant in Holland. Paul clearly dreaded this event and arrived early with Claire, his wife. A while later, his brother, Serge, arrive with his wife, Babette. What, someone wrote a book about this evening?
Yes, brilliantly, and it is a suspense thriller, not at all about foods.
The theme of the book is about manipulation: the attempt, the motivation, the plan, and the carrying-out. Here, the origin is actually family and love, and not some big political game. This brought everything to visceral level, yet with a mastermind. Very delicious.
Masterfully, Herman Koch, revealed the characters, their relationship, and the event that led up to the dinner. Just when you think you have known the character, he gave you a twist that made you gasp. Then, a hint that was casually mentioned became an important factor and you had an aha and a “everything clicks” moment. This is as good as Gone Girl in the way surprises were delivered.