Book review: We need to talk about Kevin
Maybe it’s the time of the year, inspiring top 10s and best whatevers of the year, but We need to talk about Kevin (L. Shriver) really is the best book I read this year. I remember the controversy when this book came out, and winning the Orange Prize in 2005. Shriver was even depicted in the press as the “anti-mother”, writing of the unspoken, the dark side of motherhood.
The story, told in the form of letters written by Eva to her husband is chilling. She relates to him her initial doubts of becoming a mother, giving up her life as a successfull travel writer, and raising their son who at the age of 15 caused a high-school massacre. Somehow, worries about her son becoming a mass murderer were never on her list of cons…
Shriver’s writing is amazing, with an eloquence that makes me want to savour every word, every sentence.
A brilliant book, definitely recommended.
December 10th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
I hate playing trouble maker, but I was not as enthusiastic about the book. I found the story compelling and the writing eloquent indeed. But I also resented a bit the weird message (at least as I understood it): that it is the family which creates the monster…
It remains uneasily unclear in the book why the kid acted this way. The issues of free will, nature and nurture are brushed upon (too) quickly. I eventually didn’t like the use of emotional tricks by the author to push her ideas and kind of hurt you down into her plot. And last but not least, I found all the characters so inhuman, so remote from the reality that I couldn’t buy it any more after the first half…