Herman Koch

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The darkly suspenseful tale of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives--all over the course of one meal. Now a major motion picture. "Chilling, nasty, smart, shocking, and unputdownable."--Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl It's a summer's evening in Amsterdam, and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. Between mouthfuls of food and over the scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened. Each couple has a fifteen-year-old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act--an act that has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable, insulated worlds of their families. As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children, and as civility and friendship disintegrate, each couple shows just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love. A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK "A European Gone Girl . . . A sly psychological thriller."--The Wall Street Journal "Brilliantly engineered . . . The novel is designed to make you think twice, then thrice, not only about what goes on within its pages, but also the next time indignation rises up, pure and fiery, in your own heart."--Salon "You'll eat it up, with some fava beans and a nice Chianti."--Entertainment Weekly " Koch] has created a clever, dark confection . . . absorbing and highly readable."--New York Times Book Review "Tongue-in-cheek page-turner."--The Washington Post " A] deliciously Mr. Ripley-esque drama."--O: The Oprah Magazine

An easy-to-read version of the "New York Times "and "USA Today "bestseller, ideal for readers 18 and up who struggle with ordinary fictionOne evening in Amsterdam, two couples meet for dinner. They need to discuss their teenage sons. The boys have committed a horrifying act that was caught on TV. They remain unidentified--except by their parents. How far will each couple go to protect their child? This is a gripping psychological tale of grief, shame, blame, doubt, and pride passed on from one generation to the next, in an easy-to-read format.

Neljä ihmistä. Yksi illallinen. Päätös, joka muuttaa kaiken. Kesäinen ilta hienossa amsterdamilaisessa ravintolassa. Menestyvä poliitikko ja tuleva pääministeri Serge Lohman vaimoineen on kutsunut veljensä Paulin ja tämän vaimon illalliselle. Tarkoitus on keskustella kummankin pariskunnan teini-ikäisistä lapsista. Hetkeä aikaisemmin historianopettaja Paul Lohman on löytänyt poikansa kännykästä videon, joka muuttaa peruuttamattomasti kaiken. Illallisen aikana jokaisen pakotetun hymyn ja tyhjän sanan taakse verhoutuu kammottava totuus, joka uhkaa perheonnea, ja jokaisen ruokalajin jälkeen tunnelma on yhä kireämpi ja veitset yhä terävämpiä. Hollantilainen bestsellerkirjailija Herman Koch kuvaa psykologisella tarkkuudella miten vanhemmat reagoivat, kun heidän suhteensa lapsiin joutuu koetukselle. Kuinka pitkälle me olemme valmiita venyttämään oikeudentajun ja sovinnaisuuden rajoja läheistemme tähden? Illallinen annostelee lukijan lautaselle synkän ja jännittävän perhedraaman. Vähitellen paljastuu, millaisia lopulta ovat kaikki onnelliset perheet ja mikä hinta on maksettava rehellisyydestä - tai vaikenemisesta.