The Dinner

The novel prompts how far one would go to defend a family member. In the text, two teenage boys have committed a brutal murder and their parents have discovered the truth about the matter. They face a choice: reveal the truth and possibly destroy the futures of the two boys or keep quiet and possibly allow guilt to consume them. When Serge arranges the dinner, this is the question that is seemingly hanging over the heads of every diner: 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. The family trumps morality, highlighting its higher importance of the two.

But it is not the happiness of the family that gets prioritized.