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)

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).

Stick with it

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

After the first hour or so, i had just about given up on this one, but i'm glad i didn't! I saw the other good reviews and thought it must get better and better it did get! An exciting story of a mother and her son. Is it nature or nurture that develops children's personalities? Stick with it!

Compelling Shocking Amazing

I will never forget this book. Ever. I had no idea what I was getting into other than a story of a mother struggling to come to grips with her son becoming a murderer, but I was horrified, enthralled, totally sucked in even though it was psychologically painful and surprising and long. I struggled to turn it on after a difficult day, because it took something from me each time, but I could never stay away for long. I don't think this is the story of every high school shooter, but I do think it's a compelling story of one fictional boy who is disturbed beyond belief, with an exceptional writer to tell it thoroughly, engagingly. Plus, the reader was totally in character and pitch-perfect from start to finish. Toward the end, I was obsessed with finishing it—listened voraciously—like I would gulp down shots trying to finish the bottle regardless of the consequences, the hangover after. I feel the hangover of finishing this. And it was worth it.