The Dinner is a best-selling book by Dutch writer and actor Herman Koch, published in 2009. This realistic satirical novel became an international bestseller with many translations and has been adapted into three films.

Paul Lohman, a former history teacher and the narrator of the novel, is preparing to go to an exclusive restaurant with his wife Claire, where they will meet Serge (Paul’s brother) and Babette (Serge’s wife) to have an important conversation about a family matter. Serge is currently the favorite candidate to be the next prime minister of the Netherlands. Paul has been dreading the dinner. He and Claire talk about their 15-year-old son Michel; Claire thinks Michel has been acting strangely. Paul knows why but does not say. Before leaving, Paul enters Michel’s room and looks through his son’s phone, seeing a video that confirms his worst fears. Outside the restaurant, Paul acts naïve. After seeing the television broadcast, he had confronted Michel, and Michel admitted everything.  Back in the restaurant, the floor manager serves dessert. Babette demands a different dessert, causing an angry argument between her and Serge. The owner eventually approaches and Paul swears at him. Claire asks Paul again to stop Serge, but Paul worries that his violent past will encourage people to poke around his family, potentially uncovering Michel’s crimes. As Claire uses the bathroom, Paul pays the bill, laughing out loud while he does so. He searches for Claire but when he cannot find her, he exits the restaurant, knowing where she is. As sirens blare in the distance, he drops Babette’s phone from a bridge and then heads to a café. There, he sees an injured man wheeled out by paramedics, chased out by Babette. Police officers lead Claire away. She has used the stem of a smashed wine glass to cut Serge’s face, preventing him from holding the press conference. Paul rushes home. He deletes an answering phone message to solidify Michel’s alibi. Michel arrives home shortly after, his fists covered in blood. Serge loses the election and does not press charges against Claire. Michel and Paul hug as Paul laughs.

The novel asks how far one would go to defend a family member. For example, two teenage boys commit a brutal murder, and their parents have discovered the truth about the matter. They face a choice: reveal the truth and destroy the futures of the two boys, or keep quiet and allow guilt to consume them. When Serge arranges the dinner, this is the question that is seemingly hanging over their heads: Should they sacrifice their family in the name of morality? Every decision taken in the novel stems from this dilemma. Whether it is Paul reading a message on his son’s phone, Claire cutting her brother-in-law’s face with a broken wine glass, or Michel murdering Beau, all happen under the pretense of protecting the family and ensuring that the family remains together. This ensures that there is a specific, unifying morality to the narrative. As told from Paul’s perspective, nothing—from lying to murder—is impossible in order to protect Rick and Michel from prosecution. Family trumps morality, highlighting its higher importance. But it is not the happiness of the family that gets prioritized; rather, it is the simple unity of the family. They must be together, even if they are unhappy. Thankfully for Paul, he bonds with his wife and son in the wake of their ultimate decision. He laughs with Michel about the murder of Beau and finds a new admiration for his wife once he sees her cunning plans up close. For Serge, it is not quite the same story. The other diners make the decision for him: Babette and Claire object to his idea of holding a press conference, and Claire attacks him. He loses the election and remains quiet in the aftermath. He does not press charges, and the truth about the death of the homeless woman is presumably kept secret. The resolution of the novel’s central dilemma ends up thrust upon Serge rather than resolution through his own agency. But once the others make the decision, he accepts it. Serge’s happiness isn’t more important than the unity of the family. The theme comes to light, and by the novel’s final chapters, it is clear that family has triumphed over morality. Whether readers will agree with this judgement, however, is unclear.