The Daughter's BOTM: The Dinner

WOW - what a doozy of a book! Definitely went into this one with a completely different idea than what actually played out. Chilling and stays with you long after you finish reading...

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I've always loved going out to dinner. Even when I was young, I used to watch my mom getting ready for her fancy dinners out with friends - picking out an outfit, the jewelry, the makeup. My dad would put his dinner jacket on and I always loved giving a hug before he left because his cologne smelled so nice. I loved being apart of the adult dinners too! The conversations always kept me so interested and I couldn't wait until I was older and could go out to dinner with my friends.

Speaking of parenthood, this book really delves deep into the question "how far would you go to protect your child?" and at what point does a parent need to draw the line? I would highly recommend the book to a parent. It is so interesting to think about nature vs. nurture, and what we do influencing the people around us.

“If I had to give a definition of happiness, it would be this: happiness needs nothing but itself; it doesn’t have to be validated.”

This book really intrigued me because the book centers on a dinner out in Amsterdam between two couples. As readers, we are left in the dark on most of the elements of this dinner but we do know that it is happening to discuss the couple's children. I loved how the book was sectioned out into meal courses, rather than chapters. It was like you were actually at the dinner with these people! Not only are the meals describing in increasing detail, but so are the things that have transpired between these couples out to dinner.

I won't go into the dark details because that is what makes this book SO good and surprising. However, I will say that our narrator becomes increasingly unreliable as the story is being told, thus increasing the suspense. If you do read this book, make sure to read the discussion topics and author Q&A at the end. It sheds a lot more light onto the story that I had not thought of while reading. This story definitely hits home the point that you can never really know someone, regardless of your relationship and/or history with them. Additionally, ordinary people can do horrific things.

“You sometimes hear about people who have lost their sense of smell and taste: for those people, a plate of the most delicious food means nothing at all. That was how I looked at life sometimes, as a warm meal that was growing cold. I knew I had to eat, otherwise I would die, but I had lost my appetite.”

I was literally so engrossed and disturbed by this book I had to immediately talk to someone about it! I would recommend it but be prepared for the 'in for a penny, in for a pound' mentality when reading. Of note, I have now moved on to much lighter reading after this one!

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The Dinner - https://amzn.to/3uH4qP1