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Bookmarks Issue Sept/Oct 2003

We Need to Talk About Kevin A Novel by Lionel Shriver


I'm almost finished reading and still don't know how I feel about this book other than it's hugely disturbing. The book was being passed around through some of my book club members as a must read. I'll post more after I finish, but wanted to see if anyone else has read it since it has been around for awhile.

I'm trying to decide how I feel about this book. Cold. Disturbing. Pretentious. Irritating. These adjectives pretty much sum up my feelings for all the characters. Kevin's mother was so off-putting and aloof it was hard to muster any sympathy for her even when she deserved it. Kevin's father had his head stuck in the sand, when instead he should have had his foot up his son's butt. Kevin was just plain creepy. I had moments or rather pages when I was intrigued by the mother's dialogue and insight, but inevitably her detached manner made me feel cold. I wanted to reach out and hug her, but at arms distance with my face turned away.

This book wasn't meant to go down easy. It made me consider lots of things, like the issue of nature vs. nurture. Do parents really know their children and who they're raising? When is teen surliness, not a "teen thing," but aberrant behavior? Should parents be held accountable for the misdeeds and crimes of their offspring? What happens to families when parenting styles clash? This book lends itself to great discussion, but be prepared to feel unsettled after reading it.

I would give this 3.5 stars.