[1] The story is organized in sections that are headed by the sequential courses of the dinner, from aperitif to digestif,[2] and frequently interrupted by some form of disruption during the meal as well as flashbacks.

[7] Arifa Akbar (The Independent) noted that the "sly" and "riveting" novel seems to head in one direction, then "is galloping down another, unexpected path" and finds that it "may thrill, chill or cheat", whereby its "spectacular style triumphs over substance".

[8] She opines that The Dinner is, to some extent, "attuned to a distinctly European society, one simultaneously more ostentatious in its apparent "civilization" and more ashamed of its underlying savagery".

[8] Alex Preston (The Guardian) indicated that the book is about the nature of evil and found it to be a well-paced and entertaining novel that shows "brutal violent creatures" under "the thin facades of decency and manners.

"[1] Lisa Zeidner (The Washington Post) recognized black humor in the novel as in the unlikely choice of a public restaurant for the delicate discussion.