The Reading Dragons @UWCSEA East discussion

Our second Book Club meeting was about the Dutch book titled The Dinner. As is our custom, we started our conversations accompanied with a veritable feast of potluck finger foods that the participants had brought with them.

The Dinner is a story about two brothers, their families and a common act of horrifying proportions that binds them all. Set in a posh restaurant, the brothers and their wives are meeting, seemingly, over a casual dinner. The dark voice of one of the brothers as the narrator takes us through every course of the meal, as well as the unforgettable descriptions of the people of this family. There are casual smiles and banal comments that are written with a caustic tone.

Yet what is not being discussed is the atrocious act of criminality which their teenage sons have indulged in. Watched on Youtube and hunted by the police, the boys’ faces are obscure to the public, yet their parents know. What does a parent do? What is his / her responsibility - to the family and to the society?

We delved into the reasons why the author wrote this book. Is this a normal family? What is a normal family? Faced with tragedy, do families embrace moral ambiguity to protect their loved ones? We also discussed other books, movies, and real incidents reported in media dealing with a similar theme.

And we asked each other the question - Faced with a similar situation, what would you do?

- Neetu Aggarwal.