The Dinner by the Dutch novelist Herman Koch was published in 2009 and became a huge bestseller in Europe and has since gone on to international acclaim. Two film versions of The Dinner are now on Netflix, the US version, starring Richard Gere, which I haven't seen, and the Italian subtitled version of the film directed by Ivano De Matteo which I saw a few weeks ago and I was quite impressed. It's the kind of film that gives you alot to think about regarding life and such questions as how far should parent's go in protecting their children? What does it mean to do the best thing for your child? Can we know how someone will react in a crisis, particularly if up until then they have led a charmed life? So with these thoughts swirling in my head I was eager to also read the novel.
I wish I could say the novel, The Dinner, was even better than the movie or equally as good but I cannot. Ivano DeMatteo and his scriptwriter knew that for the film to work the novel would have to be edited considerably and they made a wise choice. I found the characters in De Matteo's film much more believable and likeable and the story much more credible than the novel which goes over the top in terms of plot twists. Twists that in my opinion were unecessary. Herman Koch is a talented writer. His idea for the book, two brothers (Paul and Sergio Lohman) and their wives (Claire and Babette Lohman) having dinner at an exclusive restaurant to discuss what to do about their two sons, Rick and Michel, who have committed a shocking unsolved murder is more than enough material for a page turning read.
The Dinner has been compared to Gone Girl and I can see why. Both books are narrated by characters you cannot trust. Paul Lohman who narrates The Dinner for example is increasingly sinister as the book progresses, only matched by his wife Claire who eventually shows herself to be worse than he is if that's possible. And so the initial question of what do Paul and Claire & Sergio and Babette owe their teenage sons gets lost. The parents with the exception of poor Sergio Lohman (the only decent character in the novel) prove to be so unhinged that I couldn't draw any lessons for my life which I was able to do with the movie. So my advise is to see Ivano De Matteo's film of the Dinner which is both entertaining and thought provoking but I cannot recommend the novel.
It is so interesting that you found the film better then the book. I sometimes do that when I find a book to be a little trite and all plot based. Sometimes such stories make better films. I will probably see the original Italian version of the movie.
ReplyDeleteHi Brian, I think the reason I found the movie better is that they changed the book somewhat drastically. The characters are are quite different. And the movie has edited out certain parts of the book so that with the exception of the basic story, two sets of parents meeting to discuss what to do about their kids who have done something terrible, the book and the movie are two different entities.
DeleteDo you think seeing the movie first impacts on enjoyment of the book? I must check it out on Netflixs. I did enjoy Gone girl and I do like an unreliable narrator, will check this out, thank you xxx
ReplyDeleteLainy http://www.alwaysreading.net
Hi Lainy, I do think seeing the movie first can impact what you think of the film. Would my feelings about the book have changed had I not seen the film? Probably but I still would have had a problem with the book because Herman Koch is a very good writer he didn't need in my opinion to pile it on in terms of the shocking plot twists since he had a good story to begin with. The characters are not likeable and that's particularly true of Paul and his wife. I don't have to like characters but if there is no one to like, that's a problem. But The Dinner has gotten vegy good reviews so there is that as well.
DeleteHi Lark, Some may like the book and that's fine. I just didn't but the Italian version of the movie worth checking out.
ReplyDeleteToo late! I have already read the book. :D
ReplyDeleteBut I would be interested in checking out the movie and seeing how it compared. I thought the book was good - certainly a page turner - but I didn't love it.
Hi Ruthiella, I recommend the movie, not the Richard Gere one which I haven't seen but the Italian version and you will be suprised how different that version is from the book. As for the book itself it is very well written and a page turner. I just felt the author laid it on too thick in terms of the dysfunction going on in this family which I don't think he needed. The basics of the story, what do parent's do when they discover their children have committed a terrible crime, is already there. It's a fascinating plot all by itself in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen either movie, but I thought the book excellent, though deeply disturbing. I also thought at first that it was a story about parenting and protecting one's child, but by the end I realized that was actually the story about a monster, a real horror story.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the Italian movie director set out to make a movie about parenting and used The Dinner as the basis for his story. Given that, I would say it's based on the book, not an adaptation.
But I quibble--I enjoyed reading your review and perspective.
Hi JaneGS,
ReplyDeleteIt's a very well written novel and agree the Italian director used the Dinner to tell a different story, focusing on parenting which I liked better. The Dinner turned out to be more in the Shirley Jackson vein or Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley. Narrators that you increasingly can't trust. I think you might like the Italian version of the movie but it is different.