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)

Amazing! Stick with it.

The first few hours are painfully slow. The language is flowery and verbose, and at times description heavy and self indulgent. Get over it. The reward is an indepth look at one of the most chilling horror villains you will ever read, and an engrossing tale of the collapse of the American family. Knowing the ending up front makes the conclusion devastatingly effective. Every anecdote is haunting as you are lead to an inescapable climax.

Thought Provoking

Good reader. The story line was excellent.
I do wish the author had left out the animal abuse, the book would have been better with out it.
The mixture of fact and fiction was flawless.
I would NOT recommend this book to any pregnant woman---not joking!

This book will stay with you!

A very interesting way to tell a story, and the narrator does a fantastic job. This is a very disturbing tale about a family gone terribly wrong. All told from the mother's perspective in the form of letters to the father, it gets more and more addictive the further it gets along. Part cautionary tale and part mystery, the story of Kevin is heartbreaking and chilling. I couldn't get my mind off this book days after I finished listening! I watched the movie a couple of days after and I believe they did a very good job at telling the story; like another reviewer, I would recommend reading/listening first and then watching the film.

Excellent

I did this backwards in the sense I saw the movie prior to reading the book. I wasn't aware there was a book until after I finished the film, which I had very much enjoyed. I immediately purchased the book and started listening to it the day after seeing the film. I have since listened to it twice. I find the story fascinating, the characters easy to understand while also vastly different from myself, and explored my own wild fears of being a mother who wouldn't bond with her child. What I found I also enjoyed was the performance. The narrator gave the story a voice that I hadn't thought of before, which in itself can help you capture a different perspective. I have recommended this book to anyone who works with children as I do.

Blew me away....

Any additional comments?

Wasn't really sure what to expect but I was blown away. Complex, deep characters, great story. It was a surprisingly easy listen despite the grave subject matter. I didn't want it to end!

Unique, chilling, amazing book

Wow! Incredible book! The story is unique, chilling, and emotional. There are twists that I couldn't predict until much later, and the characters are compelling. This was definitely a page-turner - probably the most compelling book I've read in 5 years. I couldn't put it down!

interesting book

I had no idea what this was about but it turned out to be an interesting subject matter. Pretty creepy insight on these type kids...

Jordan Peterson recommended this book

Great reading by narrator. Captivating the whole time. Heavy, very heavy story. Follow up or lead up with something light.

Spellbound

In the beginning, I have to admit that the language made our performer sound like Moira Rose from Schitts Creek and I was confused as to whether or not the author thought that this was how real people talk. The voice, in the end, was perfectly suited for our narrator and the story was so amazing that I finished this whole thing in less than three days because I just couldn't stop listening! Amazing story and amazing performance!!

Must Read

What made the experience of listening to We Need to Talk About Kevin the most enjoyable?

It was beautifully and bravely written.

What did you like best about this story?

The voice of the mother, who is the narrator and main protagonist was sad and strong and honest.

Which character – as performed by Coleen Marlo – was your favorite?

Coleen Marlo was incredible—as though she'd written the book herself.