We Need to Talk About Kevin

A Novel

By: Lionel Shriver

Narrated by: Coleen Marlo

Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Eva never really wanted to be a mother - and certainly not the mother of a boy who ends up murdering seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his 16th birthday. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood, and Kevin’s horrific rampage, in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklin. Uneasy with the sacrifices and social demotion of motherhood from the start, Eva fears that her alarming dislike for her own son may be responsible for driving him so nihilistically off the rails.

©2003 Lionel Shriver (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

Critic reviews

“Shriver handles this material, with its potential for cheap sentiment and soap opera plot, with rare skill and sense.” ( Newark Star Ledger)

“A slow, magnetic descent into hell that is as fascinating as it is disturbing.” ( Cleveland Plain Dealer)

“Powerful [and] harrowing.” ( Entertainment Weekly)

Tedious

An insufferably tedious stream-of-consciousness monologue that I could not complete. Watch the movie instead. You’ll be happier.

Takes some time ..

I tried to read the book and could not get in to it at all. I really liked the idea behind the book so I decided to listen to it. As when reading the book it took some time to get in to the story line. However, I am glad I did the author ended up capturing my attention and left me guessing until the very end.

good book

I ddi not enjoy the few moments when the narrator chose to do an African American character voice. it was weird and stereotypical.

Stick with it

It’s a great book. The first 2 hour is hate a bit daunting but after that you get right in to good stuff. Just dive right in.

Dear Franklin…

I’ve wanted to read this book for a looong time, and it did not disappoint. The characters were all about as likable as those in Gone Girl, and like Gone Girl, the story was riveting.

Black Voices

The story was intriguing, however whenever a Black character came into the story it was very distracting and disheartening to hear the reader take on the voice of what they think Black people sound like. For examples, I assume that all of the characters are Northern American, however when a Black character arrives the reader attributes a “southern” or “black” tone.

Gripping and emotional

I could not stop listening. The perspective of the story being told from Elsa's letter to her husband regarding their son gave it such a personal touch.

Spine chilling!

This book and rendition are so profoundly disturbing that I could only listen in relatively short sessions. Shriver’s skill in language and writing blend so well in the competent voice of Coleen Marlo. An excellent achievement!

Perhaps the Best Novel I’ve Ever Read

As the title says. I am left in awe of this novel and Lionel Shriver. This book may not have been the most enjoyable I’ve ever read, or taught me the most: but it was the most raw and vulnerable, the most honest, and perhaps the most impactful. It felt a lot like reading a very well-written diary. I’ll definitely be recommending this book to everyone I know. I also want to give honourable mention to the narrator. She was absolutely brilliant as well, and this is one of the rare circumstances in which I think the audiobook may be better than the physical copy (as opposed to being equally as good).

Disturbing and painful, but beautifully written

I listened to this book a few months ago. It stuck with me like no other book has in years. This is the story of a family; beginning with a loving couple, ending with a nightmare. This book is not about school shootings, it's not that simple. What it does ask us to think about is the reason for and existence of evil in the mind and withered heart of a child gone wrong. Can a child just be born different, and bad to the soul? Or can a mother be so resentful of giving up her independence and harbor so much animosity towards her child that it breaks him?

I also watched this movie just this week. While very different from the book, it is also very good. I would recommend reading this book, then watching the movie a few days/ weeks later.

I felt like the movie helped me to make peace with the book. I highly recommend this to anyone who interested in edgy, real life books that make you think, and feel grateful for what you have.

While this is all very depressing, I can't find anything wrong with the book to give it less than the full score it deserves. Though, I admit it left me so sad and even anxious for a long time. The style of the writing is incredibly effective. The mother writes her story in letters to her husband. It's hard to put down. Very enthralling audiobook. It also adds an element of suspicion about whether the mother is telling the truth or her idea of truth.

It does resolve in the end leaving you without doubt as to the sanity of mother and child.