The Dinner Party

by Gordon Houghton

Tightly-paced and shot throughout with gallows humour, The Dinner Party is the chilling, ultimately moving story of a young man's obsession with ritual and the peculiar moral universe he inhabits. Printed The Dinner Party (UK, 1998); Le Diner (France, 2003), The Dinner Party (UK, 2018).

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

My novels are currently unavailable.

Reviews

[Max Nemtsov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Слегка трансгрессивный и в некоторых отношениях тревожный и болезненный первый роман совершенно не оцененного у нас писателя. Никто, понятно, не может запретить художнику любые дали и глубины, сколь угодно темные или больные, хотя многие пытались. Но в таких исследованиях, в частности, и состоит задача и доблесть литературы, как я это понимаю, хотя многие об этом склонны удобно забывать.
В какой же мрак уводит нас Хотон? «Званый ужин» стоит сопоставить с его вторым романом «Подмастерье». Уже тут он начинает разбираться со страхом смерти — его персонаж трансцендирует страх боли и объективирует собственное тело, а это, как нам рассказывают мудрые товарищи, — первые шаги на пути преодоления страха смерти. Некоторая психопатология Феликса Флая сводится разве что к тому, что он как объективирует собственное тело, так и поклоняется ему, и в мире его логики это выглядит совершенно нормальным (а возможно, так оно и есть), вот только формы поклонения выбирает не слишком традиционные. В целом же ход его мысли вполне убедителен — до самого конца. А начинает он, что важно, вполне по учебнику — с внутриутробных воспоминаний.
Читать «Званый ужин» — ничуть не мучительнее просмотра некоторых фильмов Питера Гринуэя, эстетично, вполне весело местами (тот самый «юмор висельника», о котором нам рассказывали критики) и весьма терапевтично (как к нему отнеслись бы вегетарианцы или веганы, правда, представлять себе жутковато). Однако нашему нежному и Духовно Богатому читателю вообще обо всем этом знать, конечно, не нужно, и я надеюсь, что русский читатель роман этот никогда не прочтет. Не для него настоящая литература — честная, смелая, жуткая, грязная, темная, какая угодно. Пусть лучше читает свои анемичные жвачные саги.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have preferred to rate this as 3.5 but goodreads doesn't seem to allow that so.well then, I don't know how to start...It was,well,weird reading this but the weird thing is that for me it wasn't the fact that this dude was self-mutilating,and collecting razors sharp things in general and took a bed of skin from his friend/crush no no those aren't the weird parts (i'm kind of a gore fan so...these things, i'm quite used to reading about them. MOVING ON THEN.). It was the knowing that this character is a psycho and yet you find yourself agreeing with some of his philosophies.

I gave this a 3.5 star (if only goodreads would allow it) because there are a lot things left unexplained...one of them being 1.) why WAS he seeing the future? 2.) how did he even come to the conclusion that his dad was an impostor and that his present dad is actually the one that came from the mirror dimension? was it an imagination as a child though he seemed pretty mature even as a kid so it is unlikely that he just imagined it. honestly i'm a bit lost haha i don't know which truth i should believe in. plus there were a lot of things that he said which are in itself a contradiction to his own beliefs...BUT I guess I should take ot easy with this book, there were some flaws, but there great moments there too. and some ideas were so original, the others were just meh. Also, about him talking to his child self and teen self, i'm not sure if this was a thing he could actually DO (like the way he can see the future) or if he's just a demented, sick, delusional,schizophrenic (wow what else) person...I mean, If he was (and i want some kind of clarity on this maybe the story would have been better if the author didn't use a first person kind of narrative.To see different angles too, I mean, it was always felix's point of view) he could have just imagined and convinced himself that he can see the future,that there's a different dimension beyond mirrors, can talk to his child and teen self...and that's that.

[Zakk Madness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and mesmerizing. You will be up thinking about this book long after you've finished it.

[Lila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Describing this novel as ”tightly-paced” is somewhat misleading, as throughout the book the narrator constantly hints at things he’s going to discuss, but not yet. Sure lots happens, I was intrigued enough, and the writing is great (!), but the blatant foreshadowing just had a dismal and even blasé effect on me. I'm sorry, artistic freedom and all, but I really wish these were cut, even at the risk of the narration becoming a little disjointed and choppy. Maybe that would have even added to the horror; another way of exposing such a methodological mind in distress?
Gore I did not need more of, no thank you. Parts of this were straight up exposure therapy to things that make my skin creep and the blood drain from my face. Please check TWs!
Anyways, I do love finding odd books (with 18 ratings on GR) that grab my interest! Long live used book shopping in physical locations, and weird, gross stories I somehow can't stop reading even when having to gloss over my eyes.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not nearly as shocking as promised. While I thank my lil bro for the suggestion, I
prefer a narrator with more depth and more meaningful description. A few winning lines
but overall, a bit of a disappointment.