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We’ve been waiting for an hour. That’s what Audrey says. She states it with a little bit of an edge, her words just bordering on cursive. That’s the thing I think first. Not: Audrey Hepburn is at my birthday dinner, but Audrey Hepburn is annoyed. At one point or another, we’ve all been asked to name five people, living or dead, with whom we’d like to have dinner. Why do we choose the people we do? And what if that dinner was to actually happen? These are the questions Rebecca Serle contends within her utterly captivating novel, The Dinner List, a story imbued with the same delightful magical realism as One Day, and the life-changing romance of Me Before You. When Sabrina arrives at her thirtieth birthday dinner she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also three significant people from her past, and well, Audrey Hepburn. As the appetizers are served, wine poured, and dinner table conversation begins, it becomes clear that there’s a reason these six people have been gathered together. Delicious but never indulgent, sweet with just the right amount of bitter, The Dinner List is a romance for our times. Bon appetit.
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The Dinner List reminded me a lot of Rebecca Serle’s other book, In Five Years. It was sad, but the premise was intriguing. I went into this story blind and was shocked that Sabrina was having dinner with some people who weren’t living, such as Audrey Hepburn of all people. Each person’s importance at being present was made clear except, I felt, her old college professor. He did have wisdom to give, but other than that, I felt his presence at this dinner pointless. I had mixed feelings about Jessica. I understand that life happens and moves on, but she could have had a little more compassion for her “best” friend. I really enjoyed reading this book and it kept my attention the whole time!
0Last year, I read In Five Years and absolutely loved it. This year, I came across Rebecca Serle's previous novel, The Dinner List, at a used bookstore and was inspired to read more from her.
Although it was written only a few years before In Five Years, The Dinner List feels like Rebecca Serle finding her voice as a writer. The premise is fantastic, though: If you could have dinner with 5 people, living or dead, who would you choose?
I struggled a bit with the narrative shifts: Each chapter alternates between the dinner and the history of the characters. It was a little tough to get into the story with the flash-forwards to dinner, and of the two storylines, I enjoyed the history of the characters more -- there's just a better sense of flow.
The dinner itself wasn't bad, but there was a lot of editorializing about what was happening in the story. To be honest, I didn't always understand what the author was trying to convey in those chapters, and that made it frustrating to stick with the story at times. There were a few times I even wanted to put it down, but after several DNFs this year, I just wanted to stick this one out. In In Five Years, Serle is very clear about what she wants to say -- I didn't feel that from this novel, though. I was often confused, although the ending wrapped things up nicely.
The ending was a highlight of the book, as was Audrey Hepburn, who ended up being one of my favorite characters. I thought her presence at dinner would feel very random, but her ethereal and calming demeanor definitely served the group well and added a lot to the story.
While this isn't my favorite book of hers, I'm looking forward to Serle's new release next year! She has a way of making you feel things on a deep level without overwhelming you with those emotions.
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