Not only did she have a #1 bestseller to flaunt in that agent's face, but the book also won the 2005 Orange Prize for fiction. This pushback made Shriver want to get her story out there even more (and fire her agent). Her agent didn't think anyone would want to read about the horrible things Kevin does worse, there was fear that the book would even inspire copycat killings ( source). On top of that, Shriver finished the novel after the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, a time when the last thing anyone wanted to read about was school shootings. ![]() It's the fictional story of Eva Khatchadourian, a woman whose son, Kevin, commits a terrible crime, and she is trying to come to terms with it… and decide where to place the blame for her son's action.Ī book about school violence set in a time when school shootings were rampant across the United States pretty much has CONTROVERSY stamped on the cover in big red letters. Lionel Shriver-and yes, that is her real name ( or is it?)-published We Need to Talk About Kevinin 2003. After any of those-and especially the last one-you'll definitely need to talk. No, you only hear these four words when your boss wants to demote you, or your best friend wants to admit he or she is on the campaign trail for Deez Nuts, or your spouse wants to tell you that your child just killed someone. No one says this if you're getting a raise or going on a family vacation. The discussion that follows that phrase is almost guaranteed not to be easy. And that we might all just be a brief moment away from an incredible act of violence."We need to talk," isn't a phrase you want to hear from anyone, whether it's a parent, a partner, or your boss. We need to talk about Kevin, is a warning to us all that things are never as they seem. We need to talk about Kevin is a love letter, to a soul mate while also being a tragic tale of mother and child. And as a mom i find her behavior horrific, but it makes sense. And we as an audience find ourselves cringing at his behavior. She does not hold back on the painful realities of marriage. We need to talk about Kevin shines a light on the tenous relationship between a mother and a son. ![]() The choices that needed to be made weren't, they were avoided, they were left behind Vulnerability lies in that there will never be an answer for Eva nor for Kevin. ![]() The truth is if I decided I was innocent, or I decided I was guilty, what difference would it make? If I arrived at the right answer would you come home?" She poignantly pens these words, "It's possible I'm asking the wrong question. The last letter written, I truly believes sums up everything Eva was holding in. But never have I read a novel that created such a slow burn to a truly catastrophic finale. Do you find yourself angry with her and sad for Kevin, well you do. Is the protagonist manipulative at times? Absolutely. In a series of letters written to her estranged husband, she opens up about her doubts and fears in a way that she truly couldn't when they were together. Celia is her saving grace, an obedient and loving girl. It is her sure fire way to prove that kevin is faulty, and she can succeed in child rearing. She goes to mother and me classes only to leave feeling lost.Īfter a few years with Kevin, she so ardently doubts herself, that she conspicuously tries and manages to get pregnant again. He is fussy, colicky, and Eva doesn't quite know how to manage him. He is not the cuddly baby that one expects. But she chooses to embark on that journey despite her hesitancy.įrom the first moment our Kevin is born, the protagonist, Eva, realizes something is not quite right. The choice to have a child is terrifying to her. ![]() Kevin, is the story of a a highly successful women who finds love a bit later in life. Shriver does a fine job at honing in on it, and giving it back to us a society. This country is on fire, and violence is so ridiculously prevalent. After Sandy Hook, after Uvalde, I came to the conclusion, that yes we need to talk. A book that I go back to year after year. I wanted to start my time on likely stories with a familiar book. In fact it was made into a movie starring Tilda Swinton. Her beautiful novel We Need to Talk About Kevin has been around for many years. And while she chooses to live her life in the UK she has an insanely realistic grasp of the American way of doing things. Ms Lionel Shriver has been an author who shines a guiding light into the proclivities of the common human. Born in the south, North Carolina exactly.
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