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The Indiana Daily Student

arts

COLUMN: Protagonists do not have to be likable to enjoy a read

Arts Filler

Usually, whenever I choose to read a book, I feel as though I have to like the main character. However, after reading “The Dinner” by Dutch writer Herman Koch I found this was not the case.

The word “protagonist” has the connotation of a hero or heroine, someone that should be rooted for. It was a strange experience for me to learn that not only was the main character Paul Lohman unlikeable and unredeemable, but the other characters in the novel were as well.

A Hollywood version of the story of Paul and the dinner will hit theaters May 5, and I’m interested to see how that will turn out. 

As the title suggests, the novel takes place throughout the course of a dinner. Throughout the dinner at a high-end restaurant in Amsterdam, Paul frequently expresses his distaste for the restaurant through his narrative.

In fact, it seems as though Paul finds something to dislike about nearly everything about his life with the exception of his wife, Claire, and son, Michel.

Despite his love of his immediate family, he also harbors a hatred of his own brother, Serge Lohman, a successful politician. It is Serge who has scheduled the dinner in the hope that he and his wife, Babette, can discuss an important matter with Paul and Claire.

During dinner, Paul leads the readers into a series of flashbacks that reveal what the characters have met to discuss. The violence of a terrible crime committed by Paul and Serge’s teenage sons is juxtaposed with the seemingly ordinary dinner.

However, as more secrets are revealed about Paul’s life, readers learn that he is not normal and his erratic and overly irritable behavior can be explained. They also learn how far the parents will go to protect their children.

Although Paul is perhaps the most unlikeable character in the novel because readers experience his thoughts and emotions firsthand, Claire is the most ruthless. The only character who displays any concern for morality is Serge, but Paul, Claire and Babette oppose him.

The drama of the novel is compelling, and despite how horrified I became at learning the truth of the book’s mystery I wanted to know what would happen next. Despite how much I grew to hate the book’s unreliable narrator, I found myself intrigued by his inner thoughts.

I think it will be more difficult to capture the sense of mystery and suspense that is displayed in the novel and capturing Paul’s vileness will also prove challenging without the presence of his narrative voice. 

From the trailer, it looks as though the filmmakers have kept most of the basic plot points from the book. Undoubtedly the story will be Americanized, so I think it will be fascinating to see to what extent.

As a novel, the story was riveting. There were times when I could not put the book down.

Although the book does not preach about morality, it does cover moral issues, and I began to wonder what I would do if I were in the position of the main characters. I like to think that I would do what is right, but when it comes to protecting my family, maybe I would also allow my dark side to take hold.

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