“This is all I know. That on the 11th of April, 1983, unto me a son was born and I felt nothing.”
Eva Khatchadourian would spend the rest of her life wondering if her hostility toward her son resulted in his toward her or vice versa. Perhaps more importantly, Eva would labor about her role in creating the boy responsible for killing his classmates, a teacher and a cafeteria worker.
Lionel Shriver’s book, We Need to Talk About Kevin, is one of the best I’ve read in years. The writing is impeccable (I never give five stars), and the storytelling unique. This book is nothing if not intelligent, giving the reader insight into the parent-child relationship, the “whys” of school violence and the psychological questioning of the “bad seed” mentality.
Eva narrates the novel through a series of letters to her estranged husband, Franklin. Through her letters, she examines their lives in relation to that of their son, trying to understand if they should have known or could have changed the outcome of his ever-present violence.
The writing in this book is so vivid and pure that I stopped reading and checked Google to make sure it wasn’t based on a real event that I somehow missed in the news.
Quite simply, you will miss out if you don’t read this book.
FYI, the book was made into a movie in 2011, but I haven’t seen it. Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
