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We Need To Talk About Kevin, Lionel Shriver
Synopsis; Shortly before his 16th birthday, Kevin Khatchadourian shoots dead seven of his fellow students, one of his teachers and a cafeteria worker. Following this tragedy, Eva (Kevin’s mother) recounts his upbringing through a series of letters to her estranged husband Franklin.
Review; This is an incredibly haunting and compelling read, which intimately charts the hostile and often hateful feelings of Eva towards her son Kevin. Whether or not you empathise with Eva or even believe her to be a reliable narrator, you will indeed feel the raw and powerful emotion which coldly haunts her throughout the story. Only once Eva has lost everything, is she able to reveal her darkest thoughts, giving a disturbing and brutal insight into what is a fractured household from the moment Kevin is born. Is evil born or created? Can you love someone in spite of such atrocity? Can even good people turn into horrific parents? This book will force you to ask such questions.
It will leave you wondering, with several questions going unanswered. It is something you will want all your friends to read, just so you have someone else to discuss it with. Shriver has excelled in creating something so deeply moving, that will have you gripped to the very end, and which will continue to have an effect on you long after you have finished reading.
By James Blackwell
