We Need to Talk About Kevin: A Novel (P.S.)

published	July 1st 2006 by Harper Perennial
first published	2003
binding	Paperback
isbn	006112429X (isbn13: 9780061124297)
pages	432
literary awards	Orange Prize for Fiction (2005)
description	The gripping international bestseller about motherhood gone awry Eva never really wanted to be a mother - and certainly not the mother of the unlovab...more [close] The gripping international bestseller about motherhood gone awry Eva never really wanted to be a mother - and certainly not the mother of the unlovable boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his sixteenth birthday. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood, and Kevin's horrific rampage in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklyn. Uneasy with the sacrifices and social demotion of motherhood from the start, Eva fears that her alarming dislike for her own son may be responsible for driving him so nihilistically off the rails. [close]
date added	02-08-07 edit book

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Sick or evil? Nature or nurture?	23	03/26/2008 10:40AM

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girlcakes rated it:

10/21/07

Read in October, 2007

recommends it for: women contemplating having children

The pull-quote on the cover of the edition I read suggests that it's impossible to put this book down. That's almost entirely false. Out of the book's 400 pages, the first 300 were kind of like pulling teeth. Creepy, maternal teeth. The last 100 pages, however, were actually and physically impossible to look away from, and the brisk pace of the climax, after so. many. pages. of buildup, actually created a really wonderful, complete story that was very satisfying and which (god help me) made ...more The pull-quote on the cover of the edition I read suggests that it's impossible to put this book down. That's almost entirely false. Out of the book's 400 pages, the first 300 were kind of like pulling teeth. Creepy, maternal teeth. The last 100 pages, however, were actually and physically impossible to look away from, and the brisk pace of the climax, after so. many. pages. of buildup, actually created a really wonderful, complete story that was very satisfying and which (god help me) made me cry out of a bizarre sense of *happiness* at the end.

This book is a series of letters (irritating) written from a travel-writer wife (unsympathetic and irritating) to her separated husband (tiresome and, given 20 seconds and a familiarity with Western literature, leading up to an entirely transparent "twist"). These letters start out being about her day-to-day life and a mediation on their slowly decimated marriage (something I really can't relate to), but soon they become All About Kevin. Kevin being their oldest kid, their son, and who recently (in 2000) shot up a bunch of his fellow high-schoolers. It's a post-Columbine book set in pre-911 America, and it's freakishly refreshing to read an entire novel about a national tragedy that neither mentions nor cares about terrorists, threat levels, Iraq, or What's Wrong With America?

Actually, it's vaguely framed around the Florida debacle in the 2000 presidential elections, but that event is used to throw into relief how little political issues matter when your family has been destroyed. For the most part, the narrator (Eva) talks about Kevin, why she decided to have him, what it was like to raise him, and examine the ways in which she failed as a mother and a wife.

It's weirdly inspiring. I mean, she is a bad mom. Not beating-the-kids bad, but neglectful, cold, self-centered...she is, essentially, the kind of woman who could only love a child if that was all she had left. And so in a way, she ends up raising a child who, in a bid for her affection, will take everything else away from her. It's both sick and touching, and a fascinating examination of how we're supposed to move on from tragedy, how life continues no matter how much you wish it didn't.

Kevin himself is perfectly written - both sympathetic and absolutely monstrous. By the time he's 14 and terrorizing his mother behind his father's back, I found myself completely unsurprised by everything as it unfolded. Of course he ended up killing 11 people. Of course he doesn't regret it. Of course. I'm not sure at what point, if any, decent parenting could have saved him, and I like that Lionel Shriver managed to write a lengthy book without answering, or even addressing, that question.

What struck me as the most disturbing thing, in the long run - and what's stuck with me most - is that the only thing that seems to scare the kid, and the only thing that seems to at least begin to make him snap out of his narcissistic power trip, is his impending transfer from juvie to the gen pop of a federal prison. The book never gets into it, but I found it deeply upsetting that the prison system is so horrible, mass murderers are scared of it. I kind of felt as if we're supposed to be happy that Kevin's actually scared, but I mostly was just creeped out that the system itself had managed to create something even worse than Kevin....less

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Fence rated it:

(review of isbn 1852424672)

05/19/08

bookshelves: 813-54

Read in August, 2006

Just before his 16th birthday Kevin Khatchadourian murders 9 people; 7 students at his high school, a teacher and a worker in the cafeteria. This is Eva’s, his mother’s version of his life. Of her life prior to Kevin’s birth and how her son changed her life. Told through letter to her husband, Franklin, the novel reveals all her thoughts and suspicions. And how the aftermath of the killings have utterly transformed her life, and who she is.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a huge ...more Just before his 16th birthday Kevin Khatchadourian murders 9 people; 7 students at his high school, a teacher and a worker in the cafeteria. This is Eva’s, his mother’s version of his life. Of her life prior to Kevin’s birth and how her son changed her life. Told through letter to her husband, Franklin, the novel reveals all her thoughts and suspicions. And how the aftermath of the killings have utterly transformed her life, and who she is.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a huge fan of first person narratives. Too often they can be a lazy way of writing. And it is all too easy for the author to include to much detail, or too little. Here, however, it works well. We meet Kevin at his birth and get to see him grow and develop as a person, until that fateful Thursday. And because we are aware of what will happen, as is Eva, she pays special attention to clues that might have alerted her. Anything that might have tipped her off.

But this, I think, is the problem. From his birth Kevin seems somewhat of a mini-monster. Driving away nannies and childminders when only an infant. I do think that babies have their own personalities, and different babies can have very different behaviours, but to ascribe such malice and rage to an infant who can’t even sit up seems a little far-fetched. It also makes the ‘investigation’ into why teenagers are increasingly turning to murder less relevant. Most of the real mass murders have been perpetrated by normal kids, or those isolated from the mainstream. Yes, Kevin is a loner, but on his own terms. All through the book he comes across as a virtual anti-christ.

But then again, this is all from Eva’s point of view, and we know that she is biased. She knows what he has done. The very fact that Kevin is a murderer must have some impact on her version of events. And because we only see things from her perspective we have no real way of telling if her memory is faulty. Or if she is portraying Kevin in a less than truthful way. She is our narrator, she is the one telling the story, and we have to trust her. Or at least trust that the events she described happened, though possibly not the way she described. Or maybe just with different motivations.

An enthralling book, I kept wanting to read more, mainly so I wouldn’t ruin the ending by thinking about it too much. Although I don’t think that it was ruined, despite me having a fair idea of what was to happen. Also, given the fact that this is a novel, and therefore fiction, it has an aspect of closure, or maybe of moving forward that is slightly unbelievable.

Despite these tiny misgivings I would recommend this book as one to read. You may not like Eva, she’s very much a woman of strong opinion, but you’ll end up engrossed in her story. And the fact that we can’t be sure whether or not to trust her adds to the story rather than detracts, as it forces us to question her.

Not one for soon-to-be parents though....less

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Stefani rated it:

09/15/07

Read in April, 2007

I want the time back I spent reading this.

This book depressed me, not only because of the tragic topic (school shootings), but of the way it is handled. Kevin's mother tries to deal with the fact that her son has killed his fellow students and a teacher. This is an important and challenging topic. Unfortunately, the book tries desperately to be a page turner. Creating mock suspense, the mother tries to find out whether Kevin's crime was the result of the mistakes she made as a mom or the res...more

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Libby rated it:

02/02/08

bookshelves: 2008-hits, darlings

Read in January, 2008

It's official: I'm in love with Lionel Shriver. First of all, she writes novels that should be gimmicky, but are not. In The Post-Birthday World she employs a doubled narrative that splits in two at its heroine's defining moment of choice/will/agency, what have you. In We Have to Talk About Kevin she goes for the epistolary form. But in both cases, the "devic...more It's official: I'm in love with Lionel Shriver. First of all, she writes novels that should be gimmicky, but are not. In The Post-Birthday World she employs a doubled narrative that splits in two at its heroine's defining moment of choice/will/agency, what have you. In We Have to Talk About Kevin she goes for the epistolary form. But in both cases, the "device" is perfectly matched to the content, like an igloo (form follows function y'all). The meaning of the novel is bound to its form. Second of all, her prose is fucking delicious. Her language endlessly delights me; it is crafty, artful, funny, acute, and heartbreaking. Third, she writes with more nuance than almost any other contemporary writer I've read (that's you, Kazuo Ishiguro) about the nuances and complexities of human psychology, especially in terms of how people relate to/react to each other. Fourth, no easy answers. Lionel Shriver's work is bold and often crushingly sad, because she is brave enough to explore the various unhappinesses of life on earth without offering pat answers as to its causes. Fifth, she writes about women, messy, arrogant, willfull, meek, submissive, brilliant, dim, WOMEN. God, she's so good.

As far as We Need to Talk About Kevin goes, I could not put it down. The premise is straightforward enough: the mother of a Columbine-style teen-aged killer (the titular Kevin) writes a series of letters to her husband in which she attempts to hash out the thorny questions that their son's rampage has raised vis a vis responsibility for his crime. Eva's letters constitute an amazing dissertation on the requirements of motherhood and its attendant mythology (I think I like reading Shriver's work so much in part because I always come away from it feeling more normal about my own gender fueled ambivalencies). The book dares to suggest the possibility that some people are born bad, are, from conception, simply irredeemable. It also doesn't shrink from microscopically dissecting Eva's faults, and by so doing, fingering her as culpable. As to who or what is ultimately to blame for Kevin, suffice it to say Shriver does not provide the reader with a clear answer come novel's end. Instead, she breaks your heart....less

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Jaime rated it:

02/12/08

Read in February, 2008

I don't really know where to begin here. This book was intriguing, yet very, very disturbing for a number of reasons. Eva, mother to the murdering teenage boy, is brutally honest about her misconceptions of motherhood, her feelings toward her shameless, saucy little boy, and her apparent guilt regarding his murderous rampage. Although I love her candor, I was sometimes repelled by the way in which she talked about her son. Referring to Kevin as "a little shit" as the 18 month old ...more I don't really know where to begin here. This book was intriguing, yet very, very disturbing for a number of reasons. Eva, mother to the murdering teenage boy, is brutally honest about her misconceptions of motherhood, her feelings toward her shameless, saucy little boy, and her apparent guilt regarding his murderous rampage. Although I love her candor, I was sometimes repelled by the way in which she talked about her son. Referring to Kevin as "a little shit" as the 18 month old stood defiantly in his crib, forcing herself to make a vow to be nicer to him as a three year old, and having to determinedly think about offering up any kind of affection to the boy is just beyond my comprehension. Clearly, motherhood was not something that came easily to Eva; instead her maternal instincts were cold and contrived. Does that make her responsible for what her son ultimately became? Absolutely not. Although Eva is far from mother of the year, I truly believe that Kevin had something inherently wrong with him. Sure Eva wasn't always warm and fuzzy, but there is no denying that Kevin's actions (from a frighteningly early age) were premeditated, malicious, and calculating. This could not be the sole cause of the environment in which he grew up. Even so, I'd place more of the blame for Kevin's actions and behaviors on his father, Franklin. Although Eva was chilly, Franklin tried too hard to be Kevin's friend and defended him time and again when Kevin was questioned about, well, you name it--tormenting his kindergarten classmates, causing a neighbor's bicycle accident, throwing bricks from a bridge onto a highway, etc. etc. Franklin always saw good in Kevin; at least Eva saw her son for the monster he truly was. With that said, this is definitely a book I would recommend reading. Although I can't say I loved any of the characters (except, perhaps, poor little Celia), they were well developed and remained true throughout the novel. The pacing of the novel was good, allowing the reader to gain just the right amount of insight into Kevin and his family at the appropriate time in the book. What I liked best was that the author led up to a much needed climax with an excruciating ending that I didn't see coming. ...less

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Sarah rated it:

03/15/08

bookshelves: booksread2008, fiction

Read in March, 2008

I really liked this book for several reasons. Lionel Shriver doesn't try to *trick* or talk down to the reader. She has created a character (Eva) who is not only brutally honest, but makes no apologies. Eva is not a sympathetic character and I really appreciated that. A book about 'blah blah blah - violence in schools - blah blah blah - why why why?' could so easily have been cliche but Shriver takes a completely different approach to an already overplayed topic. What if your child is truly a ba...more I really liked this book for several reasons. Lionel Shriver doesn't try to *trick* or talk down to the reader. She has created a character (Eva) who is not only brutally honest, but makes no apologies. Eva is not a sympathetic character and I really appreciated that. A book about 'blah blah blah - violence in schools - blah blah blah - why why why?' could so easily have been cliche but Shriver takes a completely different approach to an already overplayed topic. What if your child is truly a bad seed? What if his sociopathic tendencies have been so cleverly executed that your family thinks you are the crazy one and not your son? Eva talks at length, honestly and openly, about how from the minute her son was born she never felt an attachment to him. She never directly questions why her son did what he did. In many ways, she is as emotionally cold and detached as Kevin. Even her relationship with her daughter is without extreme emotion. What makes this book so creepy is that Eva never truly makes the connection just how alike she and her son are. Also, I liked that Kevin did not fall into the stereotype of 'school shooter'. Even better, he didn't use a gun. He's a very interesting character study -- not your typical 'oh poor me, the world is out to get me, i wear trench coats and black coats to stand out and I have access to a gun' character. Shriver has created a sociopath who deserves his own follow up novel.
I never thought that Eva's journey was cathartic nor did I think that Shriver was disguising the fact that the letters Eva writes were to her deceased husband. I think Eva wanted to put her journey in writing in hopes of having a better understanding. There is no answer to why kids act the way they do. And Kevin is an entirely different breed of interesting and terrifying kid. Eva has nothing left to lose, so through her letters she can express the utmost honesty. I believe that she did love her husband, but Shriver never makes this relationship overdramtic, in keeping with Eva's nature.
...less

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Jessica rated it:

06/01/08

bookshelves: women-authors

Read in May, 2008

This book attacked my brain like a virus. The character of Kevin, the teenage murderer whose mom narrates the epistolary novel, was so disturbing and harrowingly well-drawn, that I think it caused some sort of chemical reaction in my brain. He gave me nightmares. I swear whenever I picked up the book gray clouds covered the sun.

In a series of letters to her estranged husband, narrator Eva dissects her family's life, from the decision to have a child to the day her son locked 9 classmates and...more

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Terry rated it:

06/05/08

bookshelves: fiction

This book made me feel...icky. I had heard many good things about it for years, since the hardcover was first released, and I was looking forward to reading it. It literally made me feel like I needed to take a purifying shower afterwards. I did not even want to have the book in my bedroom!

I was also shocked to find out it is/was considered by some reviewers to be a "feminist" book. Um, what? I mean, okay, the female main character (I can't even bring myself to call her a protagonist...more

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Pantea rated it:

06/01/08

Read in May, 2008

This wasn't exactly the most uplifting book, but it was very powerful, provoking lots of thoughts/emotions. I wish I was still part of a book group so we could discuss it in detail!

Although this was a great read, I came very close to putting it down after the first 50 pages. I found myself relating a little too much to the author in the beginning - besides descibing her life in NYC and her love for travel, she spends a lot of time discussing her doubts/apprehensions about having children......more

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Manky rated it:

04/19/08

bookshelves: book-award-reading-challenge

recommends it for: people interested in family dynamics

I read this book because it was compared to Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes. It's the story of a family told in retrospect after the older child, Kevin, murders several people in his high school. His mother tells the story of how it was to raise Kevin. She had never felt that mother/child bond develop with him. Her husband, Kevin's father, believed he had, but in actuality no one really knew Kevin at all. He simply did not fit in anywhere... not at school, not with groups of friends, and ...more

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Beth rated it:

03/23/08

Read in March, 2008

I was completely engrossed in this book while reading it. Of course, I had a slight advantage (or maybe disadvantage) because I knew how it ended before I started it. So I think I read it differently than those who don't know the outcome because I read and interpreted everything with that knowledge in mind. And I was constantly racing to the explosive ending.
I was initially a little put off by the style of writing because the book is set up as a series of letters written by the wife/author ...more

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Barbara rated it:

07/20/07

bookshelves: absolutefavs

Read in July, 2007

I don’t know where to start about this book. Disturbing? Terrifying? Sad? Brilliant! I could not put this book down from the minute I started it.

We Need To Talk About Kevin is from Lionel Shriver. I have never read one of her books before but this book was listed on the Staff Selection shelf at my local Chapters. (staff picks at my local Chapters haven't let me down yet) It grabbed me from the first page.

The story is told from a mother whose is trying to come to terms with the sch...more

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Katrina rated it:

(review of isbn 006072448X)

09/24/07

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in September, 2007

wow. this was pretty intense. the book is a compilation of letters, written by the mother of a school shooter to the wayward boy's father in the years following his crime. she basically recounts the child's entire life, beginning years before he was born, in an attempt to assure herself that his horrific crime was not her fault. the fact that she was reluctant to become a mother in the first place was a factor in the story that frightened me. she enjoyed her life in a manhattan loft with th...more

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Lain rated it:

11/30/07

It's hard to review this book when I am so appalled at what it represents. I appreciate the author's attempt to get into the whys and wherefores of teenage mass murderers, but I'm not sure the book deserves the attention it's gotten. While it definitely presents the story behind one such (fictional) criminal, I don't believe that Kevin's story is every school shooter's story.

I think the relationship between mother and son (a son trying desperately to get a reaction from a mother who not onl...more

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Stuart rated it:

12/20/07

Read in January, 2008

This book was recommended to me as "the book of the decade".

Not a book that lends itself easily to enjoyment, but its one of the most thought-provoking i've ever read. Written as a series of letters from the mother to the father of a child that carries out a high school mass murder in the US, its a chilling account of the child growing up from the view of the mother and the mothers struggle with apportioning blame attempting to understand, through to the act itself.

This is a ...more

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Katherine rated it:

01/29/08

Read in May, 2007

What a creepy book this was. I'd seen Elephant at the Auckland Film Festival a few years back (before Baby, when I actually had time and money to spend on frivolosities like film festival tickets) and thought it was an original, compelling take on the teenage-murder-rampage-at-school theme. This book was touted as another fresh and compelling portrayal of a teenager gone bad, told from his mother's perspective, and I started reading it when I was pregnant and wondering if my own imminent spawn w...more

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Lisa rated it:

05/10/08

Read in May, 2008

There is not much I can say about this book that hasn't already been written by others...but I'll write some anyway! It is disturbing & riveting. Yes, Kevin is a bit cliche & we obviously shouldn't assume all school shooters are like him or their parents are like Eva & Franklin...but it does get you thinking about the concept of someone who realizes that their child is inherently evil & how one can deal with that, as well as the flip side of someone who chooses (?) to put the bli...more

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Jenna rated it:

04/22/08

Read in April, 2008

recommends it for: Leah-- it's worth trying again.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Steven rated it:

(review of isbn 1852424672)

05/02/08

Read in May, 2008

recommends it for: people who are thinking of breeding

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Furzecat rated it:

(review of isbn 1852428899)

07/31/07

bookshelves: fiction, state-of-the-world

I should have reviewed this ages ago. I loved it. It has become a favourite amongst the Childfree community but I've also seen rave reviews from those who are parents.

The story is told by Eva in a series of letters to her estranged husband about their lives together and their son, Kevin, who is the perpetrator of a Columbine style spree killing. Eva is trying to make sense of what has happened and trying to see where a lot of the blame lies. Is she simply trying to shift blame from her...more

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