Eva never really wanted to be a mother; certainly not the mother of the unlovable boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker and a teacher who tried to befriend him. 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 absent 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.
We Need To Talk About Kevin
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"'Once in a while, a stunningly powerful novel comes along, knocks you sideways and takes your breath away: this is it... a horrifying, original, witty, brave and deliberately provocative investigation into all the casual assumptions we make about family life, and motherhood in particular' Daily Mail 'This startling shocker strips bare motherhood... the most remarkable Orange prize victor so far' Polly Toynbee, Guardian 'One of the most striking works of fiction to be published this year. It is Desperate Housewives as written by Euripides... A powerful, gripping and original meditation on evil' New Statesman"
Book Description
The Orange prize winning, million copy bestseller: now a Serpent's Tail classic, with a new foreword by Kate Mosse
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47 of 49 people found the following review helpful
By S. Hartwell
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Schriver is frequently slated for writing a book about motherhood when she is childless. In slating Schriver and in condemning Eva (Kevin's mother) reviewers overlook the fact that Kevin scores highly on the Cleckley checklist used to identify clinical psychopathy and Eva also alludes to all 3 of the classic triad of childhood indicators of psychopathy. She's done her homework in this respect. Kevin evades diagnosis (there is a great unwillingness to diagnose psychopathy in children) and the family are left to flounder with a child whose behaviour cannot be modified with either reward or punishment.
As a mother, Eva blames herself for not bonding with a son who is incapable of bonding or, indeed, of forming normal relationships. She does her best to understand and cope with his aberrant behaviour, but faced with her husband's refusal to acknowlege the problem and his inability to see through Kevin's play-acting, she is out-manoeuvred by her own son. Through it all she loves her son as best she can, but his inability to respond in a normal fashion stymies her attempts to mitigate his behavioural and deep psychological problems.
It takes a while to get into the book, but as the story progresses, it becomes hard to put it down. The real reason for Eva's estrangement from husband and daughter is a twist I didn't see coming until a few pages from it. The final scene, however, seems out of place.
As a mother, Eva blames herself for not bonding with a son who is incapable of bonding or, indeed, of forming normal relationships. She does her best to understand and cope with his aberrant behaviour, but faced with her husband's refusal to acknowlege the problem and his inability to see through Kevin's play-acting, she is out-manoeuvred by her own son. Through it all she loves her son as best she can, but his inability to respond in a normal fashion stymies her attempts to mitigate his behavioural and deep psychological problems.
It takes a while to get into the book, but as the story progresses, it becomes hard to put it down. The real reason for Eva's estrangement from husband and daughter is a twist I didn't see coming until a few pages from it. The final scene, however, seems out of place.
133 of 144 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I saw this book on BBC1's Page Turners and so decided to buy it. This novel is absolutely brilliant, I cannot recommend it enough.
The story is narrated by Eva, in letter form, as she writes to her estranged husband. Eva's son, Kevin, is in a juvenile detention centre, as at the age of 15yrs he went on a killing spree at his high school. He killed 7 fellow students, a teacher and a cafeteria worker. Through Eva's letters, the reader is taken through Kevin and her story, going right back into their past, even before Kevin was born. As Eva spills her heart out onto the paper, you are struck by how she is debating the point of just how to blame, if at all, she is for Kevin's actions.
The story is narrated by Eva, in letter form, as she writes to her estranged husband. Eva's son, Kevin, is in a juvenile detention centre, as at the age of 15yrs he went on a killing spree at his high school. He killed 7 fellow students, a teacher and a cafeteria worker. Through Eva's letters, the reader is taken through Kevin and her story, going right back into their past, even before Kevin was born. As Eva spills her heart out onto the paper, you are struck by how she is debating the point of just how to blame, if at all, she is for Kevin's actions.
The exploration of the past, especially Eva's relationship with her husband, brings up many areas of life and truth that are often not spoken about. This, I think, is why this novel is so good; the book is not just about Kevin's terrible crime. The dynamics of Eva and Frianklin's relationship are also explored, both as a young couple and as a family once Kevin is born.
This novel really does stay with you long after you have finished the last page. The ideas, suggestions and debates it raises are complex and intriguing, something to really get your teeth into.
This is a great book, one of the best I have read, and that really is saying something.
83 of 90 people found the following review helpful
By Tiny Dancer
Format:Paperback
This book is very well written. Contrary to other reviews of this book, I think it is a strength in the novel that Eva does not always inspire empathy in the reader. Eva is a terrifically well rounded, believable and flawed character. The book is in the form of letters to her husband trying to rationalise the tragic killings performed by her son. I think it is in trying to rationalise why Kevin committed such atrocities that Eva questions her role as a mother... is it because she didn't really want a baby, because she couldn't bond with Kevin after he was born, because she wanted a career or was Kevin just born inherently evil?
This book is gripping from beginning to end, thought provoking, funny, scary and sad... well worth a read.
This book is gripping from beginning to end, thought provoking, funny, scary and sad... well worth a read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blimey!
That was grim. I was captivated. Excellently put together. Easy to read and very troubling. I knew very little about this book before I read it, and all its twists and turns... Read more
Published 1 day ago by Claire Davis
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not my cup of tea
I didn't really enjoy this book, or the film for that matter (which I watched after I read the book). But that's just my personal opinion.
Published 2 days ago by Catriona McClements
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books I have read for a long time
This is a book that I could not forget after reading.
Most books these days are easy to forget - not this one.
Cant wait to read her new Big Brother.
Most books these days are easy to forget - not this one.
Cant wait to read her new Big Brother.
Published 8 days ago by thamesvalley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shocking but amazing
Just loved this book. About to read it again.
It bares a Mother's soul to us readers in a uncompromising way. Read more
It bares a Mother's soul to us readers in a uncompromising way. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Sue
4.0 out of 5 stars
We Need to Talk About Kevin
I can only echo what other reviewers have said about this book and that is that it is more than just fiction, it is a great literary work. Read more
Published 17 days ago by queenb
1.0 out of 5 stars
Very complicatedly written!
I must admit, this is the first book I haven't finished, I found it unbearable to read. The part I did read is written like an ongoing rant, I guess the subject is difficult but... Read more
Published 19 days ago by Kate Gold
3.0 out of 5 stars
We need to talk about Kevin
Something that needed to be written about; mother love doesn't come naturally to some women; can women blame themselves if their offspring turns to evil acts? Read more
Published 24 days ago by Mrs. B. Oldmeadow
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
My friend originally lent me the book, originally found it difficult to get my head around the fact that the book was written in letter form but soon got used to it and it really... Read more
Published 26 days ago by Petapops
3.0 out of 5 stars
purchased in error
The book was purchased in error, so has not been read.
Please not that the star rating is average purely as to make a selection here was the route into making this comment.
Please not that the star rating is average purely as to make a selection here was the route into making this comment.
Published 26 days ago by Mr R
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow
This book was recommended for my book club. It srarted off a bit wordy but as you get into the story the writing style changes, making it hard to put the book down. Read more
Published 1 month ago by watersign
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