We Need to Talk About Kevin
Shriver, LionelNarrated in the form of letters to her estranged husband, Eva Katchadourian writes of their son who has committed the most talked-about crime of the decade - a school shooting reminiscent of Columbine. From the start, she was ambivalent about motherhood and never sure if she really wanted a child. Eva fears that her dislike for her own son may have been the cause of his chilling shooting-spree. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, and parenthood.
Comments from Groups
Compelling, deep and dark. The child or the mother to blame, both, or no-one? Tauranga 016 Disturbing, surprise ending - surprised everyone. Lively discussion re cause of Kevin's imbalance. Te Awamutu 001 Disturbing and shocking. Author did immaculate research on the topic of mass murder and her observations were brutally honest. We all agreed the quality of the writing was exceptional. Gisborne 005 Intense, gripping but very well written. A fabulous story ...Triggered lots of discussion about the various themes in the book. Christchurch 319 Strong discussion about nature/nurture. Well written and with so many events similar to this in the USA today [it is] very scary. Coromandel 003 Not many of our group liked the book, simply because of the subject matter. It did however, provoke a really good discussion. Christchurch 001 Slow to start but drastic improvement as it went. This is the best book that we've had so far...Mother and son were very similar characters. Feilding 03 One of the most discussed books we have had as a group. So many issues and views...and even though a hard disturbing topic, a brilliant read. Auckland 157 Phew! What a book! ... Have never seen the group so polarised. Motueka 001
Pages
468
468
Year
2003
2003
Reviews
02-10-2023
A hard hitting book to read. Brought up Nature vs. Nurture debate. Great for discussion - what would we feel/do as mothers in this situation Thanks!
14-01-2022
A disturbing read though well-written. Not sure who was the most disturbed - the mother, Kevin or the author!!
14-01-2022
Great discussion. The novel for many, raised as many questions as answers. We found it "wordy" to the point of frustration, but the characters were fascinating. We decided Kevin was just "plain evil", and his parents harbored quite a lot of negativity, whilst trying hard. Most interesting.
31-08-2019
Only half our group finished this book, initial impressions were that it was too slow and wordy to start and a hard read. Some found the content too disturbing to read and unenjoyable. Those that finished it enjoyed it but it was a hard read, confronting and needed concentration to get into it. Once it was started they had to finish and get to the end -an intense book. Some good discussion followed this book.
20-05-2019
An interesting discussion on a difficult subject. We hired the DVD before the discussion, which was a good idea but it was still tough.
20-05-2019
Mixed reviews. Many unhappy with Kevin's change of heart at the end. Quite an emotional read.
20-05-2019
Compelling, Ghastly. What a mixture of opinions - well-written, but only five completed it.
20-05-2019
Wow! Although harrowing, all who read this book thought it beautifully written and deeply affecting. Best discussion we've had - an intense three hours which continued over the following week!
20-05-2019
Our members who read the whole book found it riveting, and it provided a very interesting discussion. We decided that the boy was wired that way, and therefore it was nature, not nurture. Those who hadn't read it wished they had!!
20-05-2019
An extremely thought-provoking read with an unexpected twist at the end.
20-05-2019
The first 100 pages were difficult to get into. However the story became very powerful as it moved along. The wow factor at the end was that she could still love her evil child despite all he had done to hurt her.
20-05-2019
We all found the subject matter difficult, but it was well-written and all finished it. Some found the 'wordiness' self-indulgent whilst others really enjoyed this aspect. Lively discussion about her motivation to stay in the town and continue to visit Kevin. Also, why did she not remove her daughter when she suspected Kevin was harming her Lots to talk and think about.
20-05-2019
The group was very divided about the book. Some found it very good although gruesome; others found the writing style too dense. Some found it honest and cleansing, and others found it quite thought-provoking.
20-05-2019
Not an easy read, but made for a great discussion about the characters and author.