We Need to Talk About Kevin
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- Create Date：2021-04-23 14:54:12
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Lionel Shriver
- ISBN：1846687349
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Summary
Eva never really wanted to be a mother; certainly not of the boy who murdered seven of his fellow high school students， a cafeteria worker and a teacher who tried to befriend him。 Now， two years later， it is time for her to come to terms with Kevin's horrific rampage in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband。 Uneasy with the sacrifices of motherhood， Eva fears that her dislike for her own son may be responsible for driving him so drastically off the rails。
Winner of the 2005 Orange Prize， We Need To Talk About Kevin is a brilliant， controversial， unsettling book。
Winner of the 2005 Orange Prize， We Need To Talk About Kevin is a brilliant， controversial， unsettling book。
Reviews
Joan
，
I’m really on the fence about this one。 I need to start with the cons first because they made up the entirety of my most immediate feelings while reading:Overwritten。 Pretentious。 Black or white characters （surprisingly Franklin was my least favorite even when competing with the Kevin， the sociopath， and Eva， the narcissistic， condescending， cold mother。） Pros: The ending， which revealed some facts not apparent （at least， not to me， although other reviewers gleaned them earlier on） and which hin I’m really on the fence about this one。 I need to start with the cons first because they made up the entirety of my most immediate feelings while reading:Overwritten。 Pretentious。 Black or white characters （surprisingly Franklin was my least favorite even when competing with the Kevin， the sociopath， and Eva， the narcissistic， condescending， cold mother。） Pros: The ending， which revealed some facts not apparent （at least， not to me， although other reviewers gleaned them earlier on） and which hinted at a hopeful turn in the relationship between Kevin and his mother。 The book is written in the form of letters written by Eva to Franklin， her absent husband。 In reading others’ reviews， my initial dislike has softened。 It was noted by many that the intellectual and overwrought wording， which I took as the author’s writing style， was meant to highlight Eva’s smug and superior personality。 It was certainly hard to find any sympathy for her， so maybe this was a brilliant ploy on Shriver’s part。 I have often thought， on hearing of a real-life school shooting， that it was perhaps a harder road for the parents of the shooter than those of the victims， knowing that one’s child could perpetrate such an evil act and shouldering the grief of those he had harmed。 So， with all that being said， it seems I appreciate We Need To Talk About Kevin more after the fact。 It was still an arduous read。 。。。more
Jaberona BL
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A chilling story that felt like plain horror at times。 I read it after I saw the movie， curious to understand the point of view of the protagonist better。 The book definitely went into some uncomfortable places， questioning the parents/children's bonds and expectations of mothers。 All in all， it was a fascinating story， all the characters painted in shades of gray， nobody fully good or bad， right or wrong （with Kevin obviously on the darkest end of the spectrum…） Two things that felt a bit 'off' A chilling story that felt like plain horror at times。 I read it after I saw the movie， curious to understand the point of view of the protagonist better。 The book definitely went into some uncomfortable places， questioning the parents/children's bonds and expectations of mothers。 All in all， it was a fascinating story， all the characters painted in shades of gray， nobody fully good or bad， right or wrong （with Kevin obviously on the darkest end of the spectrum…） Two things that felt a bit 'off' to me - that the protagonist stayed with her husband who was acting like an idiot for most of the book （claiming she loved him still。。。but could anyone possibly love someone that annoying？）， and her decision to have a second child。 （A woman who never wanted children， and then her first boy turned out a disaster， making her experience of parenting a total nightmare - suddenly， out of nowhere， she just decides to have another child？ Just felt like a very out-of-character， forced development。。。）But overall， it's a very gripping story。 If the blurb didn't scare you off， you're sure to enjoy it or at least find it thought provoking。 。。。more
Corinne
，
Does she ever stop talking about herself？ Herself with really fancy words？----------Oh yes， thank goodness。 Adding in more characters has made it so I can appreciate it better。Wow what a story。 That will be unforgettable。Unfortunately the author writes "too smart" for me。Reminder notes for myself:（view spoiler）[She bought the bow and arrow as a father and son project。 He loved the Robin Hood story， reading it multiple timesThere was a 2 week period when Kevin was sick。 He was a normal boy， needi Does she ever stop talking about herself？ Herself with really fancy words？----------Oh yes， thank goodness。 Adding in more characters has made it so I can appreciate it better。Wow what a story。 That will be unforgettable。Unfortunately the author writes "too smart" for me。Reminder notes for myself:（view spoiler）[She bought the bow and arrow as a father and son project。 He loved the Robin Hood story， reading it multiple timesThere was a 2 week period when Kevin was sick。 He was a normal boy， needing his mom， properly responding in conversations。 "He was a completely different person。 And that's how I achieved an appreciation for how much energy and commitment it must of taken him the rest of the time to generate this other boy （or boys）。" She could of been a good， happy mom， if he was a good kid。 :（ How hard to explain this odd behaviored child and care for him。（hide spoiler）]Read in 2015。 。。。more
Mary K
，
Chilling。 And disturbing。
Jane Scholey
，
Stunning book。 A brilliant but tricky read。
Kristen Pickering
，
I am not sure why I read this So many thoughts on motherhood and parenthood and marriage and familyDisturbing
The Lazy Reader
，
Characters of this novel， all cruel in civilized， interesting ways， encounter the mythical concepts that sustain human societies- motherhood， love， family and home-and watch it fall apart in the presence of their unsettling son who seems to break all their carefully built rules。 Things don't turn out the way they imagined it to be， so they keep smiling， pretending to love the shattered illusions they now secretly despise。 It's terrifying to watch。The writing is spectacular; like woven silk， a ha Characters of this novel， all cruel in civilized， interesting ways， encounter the mythical concepts that sustain human societies- motherhood， love， family and home-and watch it fall apart in the presence of their unsettling son who seems to break all their carefully built rules。 Things don't turn out the way they imagined it to be， so they keep smiling， pretending to love the shattered illusions they now secretly despise。 It's terrifying to watch。The writing is spectacular; like woven silk， a handicraft produced from the most skillful， precise hand。 Every word is a stitch chosen for its artistic control on the narrative。 A literary thriller that questions the thrill of the chase itself。 。。。more
Brandy
，
Wow！ Highly disturbing， thought provoking and emotional！！ I gasped out loud several times。 I know that’s your child and all， *Im looking at you， Franklin* but how blind can you be？！ And even as a mother， there’s no way I could forgive that level of evil。 This book was very well written and kept me on the edge of my seat。
Codrill
，
The start of getting into this book is somewhat difficult。 I felt as though there was no end to the over-explaining of the mother， who seemed to do nothing but complain， but I was very invested by the "second chapter"。 The descriptions of living with a toddler such as Kevin makes you think a lot about parenthood and life in general。 This book might offer a perspective on humanity。 I know I don't share this sentiment with everyone when I say， that I regard even the "worst" criminals as utterly hu The start of getting into this book is somewhat difficult。 I felt as though there was no end to the over-explaining of the mother， who seemed to do nothing but complain， but I was very invested by the "second chapter"。 The descriptions of living with a toddler such as Kevin makes you think a lot about parenthood and life in general。 This book might offer a perspective on humanity。 I know I don't share this sentiment with everyone when I say， that I regard even the "worst" criminals as utterly human。 While reading， I wondered if anyone would sympathize and empathize with Kevin's experience as I did。 Be it psychopath or sociopath， I greatly pity people like this。People who have been born into a world so strange from theirs。 Despite trying to understand why everyone expected them to understand what they were feeling， despite thinking nothing made sense， they merge into the crowd so easily。 Often， there is a great effort made to paint psycho/sociopaths as monsters， and irreparable empty husks， but， they are human。 I hope that after reading this book someone could think of psycho/sociopaths， not as something worth admiring at all， but not as something worth hating， either。 If only we could cross paths with each other and say "You're that type？ I hope we'll be able to cooperate despite our differences"。 。。。more
Lorena
，
Lava fusa nel buco nero di quel macrocosmo che è ogni essere umano。 Bellissimo。
Megan
，
We Need to Talk About Kevin （WNTTAK） book was recommended （and kindly gifted to me） by my sister as WNTTAK is her favourite book。 The book is written in letters by Eva to her husband Franklin， mingling details of her present life with her past， when they lived as a family with their son Kevin。 Eva questions why she ever decided to have a child after all she was never maternalistic， and Kevin does little to dissipate her regrets of motherhood because from the moment Kevin is born he and Eva don't We Need to Talk About Kevin （WNTTAK） book was recommended （and kindly gifted to me） by my sister as WNTTAK is her favourite book。 The book is written in letters by Eva to her husband Franklin， mingling details of her present life with her past， when they lived as a family with their son Kevin。 Eva questions why she ever decided to have a child after all she was never maternalistic， and Kevin does little to dissipate her regrets of motherhood because from the moment Kevin is born he and Eva don't get along。 The central quibble of the book is the school shooting Kevin perpetuates - its no surprise that Kevin is a killer but instead the journey of the characters （and reader） is to decide at what exact moment Kevin became a killer。 Was he always destined to be or did Kevin's upbringing push him towards such tragic actions？ Classically this novel explores the nature/nurture argument。。。。 POSITIVES+ Interesting themes are explored in WNTTAK such as the origins of 'evil'， the influence of parenting， ideas around motherhood and expectations， familial gender roles etc+ The decision to start with Kevin's crime being known to the reader is a different take on what could have been a standard crime/thriller novel and instead this allows the reader to look for the clues in Kevin's childhood +It gets the reader to really think what they would feel/do in similar circumstances + Very readable and makes you want to keep turning the page NEGATIVES - I appreciate that some have been critical of Shriver's decision to write the book in the form of Eva's letters because the language is not natural enough to be the way someone would write a casual/personal letter。 In other words， the language is too lengthy to be believable as the way one would write to a friend/partner。 I do get this， and it did take me out of the book a bit thinking that at times I didn't believe someone would write a letter in such detail - BUT I think the ending explains why the letter's are written this way- I felt like at times Kevin's perspective should be heard more Overall though I did enjoy this book very much and I actually really liked the ending （no spoilers） 。。。more
Kait
，
Good read。 Depressing and somehow constantly jaw-dropping。 Absolutely everyone in this book is horrible。 It makes me wonder if the author is also horrible。。。 and from the about the author bit at the back of the book it seems they are。
Normaw
，
Such a dark story， I didn’t care for it。 I found it a little slow and wanted to rush her along。 It is the first book I have actually switched to the audio version and liked that better than reading it。 However， that being said， the author is an incredible writer and I’m curious to read more of her work。 Also curious to see the movie。
Nichole Bruno
，
The audiobook was very slow， I almost dnf。 I listened to it at 1。8 speed。 Glad I stuck it out， I enjoyed it。
Trudy Roy
，
Difficult to read。 （Emotionally）。 Unsympathetic protagonist。 But every page has something to think about and to discuss。 Are bad people born that way？ Or is it the way they are raised？ Can it be turned around？ Can they be rehabilitated？ Or is it always bad to the bone？
Amanda McCauley
，
Truly disturbing！ A fantastic read， captivating right from the beginning。 We Need To Talk About Kevin will peak your curiosity from the start and pull at all of your emotions。
Danna Stumberg
，
I keep thinking about this book。 It's been recommended to me many times and has been on my want to read shelf for years。 I finally got it through my library and wow。。。 this book was not at all what I expected。 It was a totally disturbing book but I couldn't stop listening。 The ending was so upsetting， and there were so many parts that made me feel sick to my stomach。 The letters were so wordy at times that I felt myself turning out or having to force myself to pay attention。 Otherwise， it had me I keep thinking about this book。 It's been recommended to me many times and has been on my want to read shelf for years。 I finally got it through my library and wow。。。 this book was not at all what I expected。 It was a totally disturbing book but I couldn't stop listening。 The ending was so upsetting， and there were so many parts that made me feel sick to my stomach。 The letters were so wordy at times that I felt myself turning out or having to force myself to pay attention。 Otherwise， it had me completely hooked。 But definitely be warned that this book is not for everyone。 。。。more
Paloma orejuda （Pevima）
，
Pues。。。 Duro， difícil y engañoso。 No es un libro fácil。Duro por el tema que trata。 Difícil por el estilo recargado y pedante。 Y engañoso porque se narra desde un solo punto de vista， que obviamente， no es imparcial。**Alerta Spoiler！！1。-La historia。 Eva escribe cartas a su marido， Franklin， para contarle como vive su día a día y como recuerda ella todo lo que ocurrió con Kevin。 Desde su felicidad anterior a la llegada de este， a sus dudas acerca de la maternidad， pasando por todos y cada uno de l Pues。。。 Duro， difícil y engañoso。 No es un libro fácil。Duro por el tema que trata。 Difícil por el estilo recargado y pedante。 Y engañoso porque se narra desde un solo punto de vista， que obviamente， no es imparcial。**Alerta Spoiler！！1。-La historia。 Eva escribe cartas a su marido， Franklin， para contarle como vive su día a día y como recuerda ella todo lo que ocurrió con Kevin。 Desde su felicidad anterior a la llegada de este， a sus dudas acerca de la maternidad， pasando por todos y cada uno de los momentos significativos y que podrían haber servido como señales para advertir lo que terminaría sucediendo años más tarde， tres días antes de que su hijo cumpliera la mayoría de edad。Y sí， su hijo es un asesino en masa， pero eso ya lo sabemos desde el primer momento。 Lo que no sabemos es el cómo ni el porqué。2。-Los personajes。 Eva y Kevin。 Kevin y Eva。 Y su peculiar relación Madre-Hijo， Hijo-madre， que la verdad es bastante inexistente。 Una relación en la que no hay amor， en la que hay un tira y afloja constante desde el primer momento （al menos según la propia Eva）。Eva no es una mujer fácil， hubo momentos en los que me pareció pedante e insensible， hipócrita， condescendiente。。。 Y Kevin。。。 todo lo que el lector llega a saber de él lo hace a través de su madre， pero como esta tampoco sabe demasiado sobre él porque parece no interesarle， pues eso， que termina convirtiéndose en un monstruo cuyas motivaciones desconocemos。Y luego están Franklin， el marido， y Celia， la otra hija， dos personajes sobre los que Eva pasa por encima haciéndolos estúpidos o vulnerables a ojos del lector。 De verdad que llegues a pensar que Franklin era tonto y que Celia era un amor con alguna discapacidad。3。-La pluma， la trama y demás。 El libro está escrito en una especie de forma epistolar。 Las cartas son bastante largas y el estilo es sobrecargado， tanto que es un libro que demanda demasiada atención por parte del lector。 No es para nada una lectura ligera。 Al principio le da muchas vueltas al tema de la maternidad， hay momentos en los que se enreda con disertaciones políticas y yo que sé más。。。 Cosas que no vienen mucho a cuento pero que te sirven para forjarte una idea de Eva。 Y luego como todo ocurre desde su punto de vista no puedes llegar a fiarte de ella， no puedes saber si Kevin es "malo" de verdad o es que ella lo ve así y lo exagera todo porque no lo quiere。 El primer tercio del libro cuesta mucho y el último se hace mucho más ágil， porque por fin va a lo que va， al crimen。4。-El final。 Bien supongo。 Te deja con la duda de si Kevin es un psicópata （que yo creó que sí， pero como luego， según Eva， se arrepiente de alguna manera， pues me deja un poco confusa）， de si se podría haber evitado todo si Eva le hubiera dedico un poco de amor。。。 Y luego esa parte de que lo esperará cuando pasen 5 años y salga de la cárcel （si no le clavan un pincho antes， claro）， pues。。。 fue demasiado rara。 Osea， no lo querías antes， cuando todavía era inocente y lo vas a querer （o al menos intentar） ahora que es culpable？？ pues vale。。。En fin， 3 estrellas sobre 5 porque considero que es un buen libro， pero al mismo tiempo me parece largo， pesado y engorroso。 **Popsugar 2021 categoría 8。 Un libro que ha ganado el Premio Femenino de Ficción。 。。。more
Pooja
，
I was absolutely stumped by this one。 Lionel Shriver's writing is sharp， supremely intelligent and just right。 I admire her choice of words， analogies and her craft。As for the book-it is shocking， tense， moving and thought-provoking。 It made me gasp， sigh， cry and smile。 Absolutely loved it and can't recommend this enough！ I was absolutely stumped by this one。 Lionel Shriver's writing is sharp， supremely intelligent and just right。 I admire her choice of words， analogies and her craft。As for the book-it is shocking， tense， moving and thought-provoking。 It made me gasp， sigh， cry and smile。 Absolutely loved it and can't recommend this enough！ 。。。more
Alice Bea
，
I honestly could not get into this book at all。 The writing style is horrendous and sadly I couldn’t get past the first 10 pages of the book。 Very sad， I had high hopes for this book。
Wayne Nicholson
，
Excellent
Fiona McMichael
，
The pure and intense wickedness of Kevin is laid out before you in almost excruciating detail。 From before conception to sitting in jail， his unmoved face is set in front of you and you are forced to look at it。 It's hard not to believe this account from what is surely a biased narrator， knowing what it is that Kevin becomes capable of。 And yet at some points I found myself even questioning Eva's reflection on her son's life。 He throws her just enough bones throughout his years to keep me wonder The pure and intense wickedness of Kevin is laid out before you in almost excruciating detail。 From before conception to sitting in jail， his unmoved face is set in front of you and you are forced to look at it。 It's hard not to believe this account from what is surely a biased narrator， knowing what it is that Kevin becomes capable of。 And yet at some points I found myself even questioning Eva's reflection on her son's life。 He throws her just enough bones throughout his years to keep me wondering if there could've been more that was left undocumented。 However， of course: there couldn't have been。 Solidified in an extraordinary twist in the second to last chapter I learn that Eva was right all along: Kevin is truly evil。 But will he always be？ The picture of his mother above his bed seems akin to the glass eye souvenir at first， but my mind was changed with his final answer to "why？"。 Sure， he is a sinner of the highest degree; what he did （all of it） can't be chalked up to anything else。 But Kevin and Eva are meant for one another， in only the way that two people who absolutely despise each other are。 Through actions of mother and son （even while Kevin's were more defining and serious）， they are left with nothing but the other and only then do they seem to truly see who they both are。 。。。more
Exlibris Library
，
This book is difficult to rate。 It definitely deserves 5 out of 5 for the quality of writing， attention to detail and vocabulary used。 It is obvious that author did a great job creating the atmosphere of the story。The story itself though， its message and incline， can't be praised as a good one。 The author invites us to sympathize with madness and selfishness。 There is a possibility， of course， that the author wanted to warn the readers， show them how the madness looks， so they would recognize it This book is difficult to rate。 It definitely deserves 5 out of 5 for the quality of writing， attention to detail and vocabulary used。 It is obvious that author did a great job creating the atmosphere of the story。The story itself though， its message and incline， can't be praised as a good one。 The author invites us to sympathize with madness and selfishness。 There is a possibility， of course， that the author wanted to warn the readers， show them how the madness looks， so they would recognize it in real life and prevent the evil happening。 Does this book deserve your time？ Yes。 Is this a book that feeds your soul and goodness？ Surely， not。 。。。more
Erick Alonso Salinas
，
KK （Kevin Katchadourian） un jóven al que nada le llamaba la atención， su mamá， desde niño se dió cuenta que su hijo era un criminal， su papá que todo le concedía y para el solo era un incomprendido （ me cayó mal por cierto）， poco antes de cumplir 16 años realiza su más "grande logro" en su escuela。 ¿Pero cuál fue el motivo para hacer semejante cosa？La historia es buena， se mezcla con sucesos que ocurrieron en la vida real。 En momentos se torna aburrida， más al principio。 KK （Kevin Katchadourian） un jóven al que nada le llamaba la atención， su mamá， desde niño se dió cuenta que su hijo era un criminal， su papá que todo le concedía y para el solo era un incomprendido （ me cayó mal por cierto）， poco antes de cumplir 16 años realiza su más "grande logro" en su escuela。 ¿Pero cuál fue el motivo para hacer semejante cosa？La historia es buena， se mezcla con sucesos que ocurrieron en la vida real。 En momentos se torna aburrida， más al principio。 。。。more
Gabija_Vysnia
，
Seniai neskaičiau knygos taip sunkiai， ilgai ir kankinančiai。 Rašymo stilius， sudėtingi ir įmantrūs žodžiai labai lėtino ir apsunkino skaitymą。 Norėjau mesti daugybę kartų， bet vis kažkas stabdė。 Stabdė norėjimas sužinoti， kas vis dėlto už visos šios istorijos slėpėsi， kokie motyvai ir priežastys。 Nepasakyčiau， kad sulaukiau aiškaus atsakymo， bet tikrai buvau priversta mąstyti ir iškelti begales teorijų。
Morgan Lonergan
，
The writing was jarring enough to fully grab my attention throughout。 I felt intensely present and involved in the character's changing emotional state。 Wonderfully descriptive overall。The contents of the book are quite intense at points， so if you're sensitive to some subjects， definitely find a positive outlet。 I read this while I was in Texas， and would sit outside in dry grasses with the sun high in the sky。 I recommend reading in a bright setting like that to offset the inevitable emotional The writing was jarring enough to fully grab my attention throughout。 I felt intensely present and involved in the character's changing emotional state。 Wonderfully descriptive overall。The contents of the book are quite intense at points， so if you're sensitive to some subjects， definitely find a positive outlet。 I read this while I was in Texas， and would sit outside in dry grasses with the sun high in the sky。 I recommend reading in a bright setting like that to offset the inevitable emotional investment you may have with this book。 。。。more
Carrianna Werner
，
The last quarter of the book made up for the discomfort brought by the first 3/4。 I think we were intended to find Eva unlikeable， but I didn’t entirely。 She made motherhood sound terrifying and tragic - so much so that it was often difficult to read without swearing never to reproduce。 Her husband sucked。 The twists were excellent。 The end made the first few hundred pages of grueling descriptions of an awful child and annoying， obtuse husband and a regretful mother all worth it。
martu✨
，
por donde empiezo a describir el libro。 Primero que de lo que va el año， es una de mis mejores lecturas （por no decir la mejor） es atrapante pero de una manera infrecuente （almenos comparado con los últimos libros que leí） es atrapante por la manera que está escrito， la crudeza y la ironía son sus principales factores y me encanta。 Como se cuestiona cada creencia sobre la maternidad， sobre las personas en general y sus <¿por que？> la narración sin duda es un punto muy positivo de la historia， es por donde empiezo a describir el libro。 Primero que de lo que va el año， es una de mis mejores lecturas （por no decir la mejor） es atrapante pero de una manera infrecuente （almenos comparado con los últimos libros que leí） es atrapante por la manera que está escrito， la crudeza y la ironía son sus principales factores y me encanta。 Como se cuestiona cada creencia sobre la maternidad， sobre las personas en general y sus <¿por que？> la narración sin duda es un punto muy positivo de la historia， es original e hilarante。 Sin embargo creo que el verdadero centro de la historia no está en el suceso principal en sí， o en acontecimientos en la vida de Eva específicamente， sino que al libro lo hacen sus personajes， dos muy puntuales para ser exacta， Eva y el mismísimo Kevin。 La manera de relacionarse de estos， la desesperación de Eva， sus conflictos que abarcan el comportamiento de y con su hijo hacen que te sientas cada vez más intrigado sobre cómo funciona la mente de Kevin， y nos conduce por este camino la misma madre que se plantea en este trazo miles de cuestiones y preguntas a las que trata de encontrar una respuesta。 Ambos personajes están muy bien construidos， llegas a empatizar con Eva pero no porque sea perfecta sino lo contrario。 El personaje de Kevin me parece inconcebible， me encantaba el hecho de tratar de descifrarlo y es que es un personaje atrapante， muy bien hecho。Tengo muchas cosas más que podría decir pero no quiero hacer la reseña eterna。 Al terminar el libro quede convencida de que no hay mayor anticonceptivo que el libro de “tenemos que hablar de Kevin” 。。。more
Stephanie （Stepping Out Of The Page）
，
We need to talk about Kevin is yet another one of those books that I have been wanting to read for a long time， and I'm only half pleased that I've finally gotten around to reading it。 Again， this is one of those books that ， dramatically hyped up in my head， mainly due to my own intrigue over the subject manner， but also due to the multitudes of positive reaction land awards） that the book has received。 I have very mixed feelings after reading this book， which makes it quite difficult to both r We need to talk about Kevin is yet another one of those books that I have been wanting to read for a long time， and I'm only half pleased that I've finally gotten around to reading it。 Again， this is one of those books that ， dramatically hyped up in my head， mainly due to my own intrigue over the subject manner， but also due to the multitudes of positive reaction land awards） that the book has received。 I have very mixed feelings after reading this book， which makes it quite difficult to both rate and review！ The truth is， it took me more than one hundred pages to really get into the story and that is due to the author's writing style。 The book consists entirely of letters， written from Kevin's mother， Eva， to his father， Franklin， following the event of a school shooting that was committed by their son。 I usually enjoy the epistolary style of writing but despite the honesty of the content of the letters， they didn't seem 'real' and so I found it difficult to connect with the writer。 For me， the writing was just too much - it felt as though most sentences were unnecessarily prolonged with adjectives， long-winded and made reading seem laborious。 I couldn't help but feel as though the author was often just trying to make use of as much of her vocabulary as possible。 There is somewhat of a 'twist’ at the end of the book， but the writing style itself allowed me to figure it out within only a short amount of reading。The actual substance of the book was undoubtedly impressive。 The story explores a lot of issues， the main one being motherhood and the trials and tribulations that it can entail。 Granted， the main event of this book is a horrific crime that， thankfully， most parents won't have to experience， but there are so many concepts and ideas shared by Eva that are accessible to all - this book is very philosophical at points and certainly gives you a lot to think about。 I can't deny that I kept thinking about this book long after I closed it。I found this book very uncomfortable to read and， as strange as it sounds， this was its star quality。 Despite my obsession with all things true-crime， this book - mostly the final section - is probably one of the most disturbing pieces of writing that I've read。 The unease that the story conjures really emphasises the complexity of the whole situation。 It is very effective。Overall， this book was a bit hit-and-miss。 Whilst I was sorely disappointed by the beginning of the book， I am glad that I stuck with it。 I really did struggle through the arduous first portion of the book， but by the midway point I felt much more compelled to pick it up。 By the end of the book I even （slightly！） began to regret that the book was ending。 The philosophical aspect of this book is very well thought out。 I haven't read many fictional books that have been able to make me think quite so much and I am thankful for that， I've now considered things about motherhood and parent-child relationships that I most likely wouldn't have if it wasn't for this book。 Despite my issues with the waiting style， I would recommend reading this book simply for the experience - I can see why the book gained awards and it's reputation as a modern book of significance。 。。。more
Brit Cooling
，