September 2018

One of the oft-asked questions is “What five people would you invite to a dinner party?”

For Sabrina, in THE DINNER LIST by Rebecca Serle, she arrives at dinner on her 30th birthday to find her best friend, her estranged father, her college professor, her former boyfriend of nearly a decade, and Audrey Hepburn. Why those five guests? Each has something to share with Sabrina that will bring insight to her life on this milestone birthday. They are gathered together for one dinner --- and one dinner only, which will end at midnight --- so in these few hours, many stories will be told, truths will be uncovered, coincidences will be rewound, and Sabrina will make sense of so many things that she never quite understood.

THE DINNER LIST is one of those wonderfully satisfying stories where afterwards you just smile and sigh. The book has it all, including lots of heart and soul. The premise is perfect, but where the story goes from there makes it special. The pacing is so well done; as I was reading, I felt vested in these characters. Rebecca took readers just so far and then would pull back and save a precious nugget for later.

Yes, it will get you thinking about the five who would be at your own dinner party. It also makes you think about the unresolved stories in your own lives. For book clubs, including ones with younger members, it’s ripe for discussion!