Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver

14 reviews

fernash's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Violence, Child death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Gaslighting, Mass/school shootings, Body horror, and Cursing

Moderate: Alcohol, Eating disorder, Sexual harassment, Rape, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, and Sexual content

Minor: Antisemitism, Medical trauma, Drug use, Bullying, Incest, Racial slurs, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Homophobia

sweetlittleredw's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book… I enjoy being mentally ground up. I enjoy reading depraved things (tender is the flesh, woom, the troop, etc) but the ending of this book… I didn’t expect Eva to say what she said. When we find out what happened, I literally had to pause and rewind to make sure I heard it right. I knew it was coming; I knew with that final “are you sure you don’t want to say another goodbye” line bad things were on the horizon. I had no idea it was going to be that cruel. 
Character-wise, I could not stand Franklin. He was constantly undermining Eva. Eva, herself, was a grating character especially with how she talked about people. Definitely hated characters. 
Overall, I enjoyed the writing style. I enjoyed that ending because it’ll stick with me for awhile. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Mass/school shootings, Sexual content, and Body horror

pierreadsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Violence, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Mass/school shootings, and Child death

Moderate: Bullying and Medical content

Minor: Sexual content and Animal death

iiisabelle's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Death, and Cursing

Minor: Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, and Genocide

ellilo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Body horror, Child death, Child abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

klwpvfc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Sexual content, Murder, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Violence

phantomgecko's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Character wise, everyone sucks in this book.

Franklin sucks in general, but in regards to a child, he sucked hardcore. A great way to ruin your marriage is to put your kids first. And like, yeah postpartum depression and even postpartum psychosis make Eva a little rough, but dang dude. He didn't need to gaslight her like that. If you legit take the word of your child over your spouse, you're proving the trust in your relationship isn't there. And if you don't trust each other, what is the point?

Is Eva an unreliable narrator? Probably? Should she have had kids? With her motivations, probably not. Did she try her damnedest? Looks like it. Should she have gotten her entire family counseling? Yeah, baby! She also should have stood up for herself more? But these things aren't what makes her suck. It's the stuck up, hypocritical attitude that Kevin rightly points out. (This side of her doesn't come out super often throughout, so she sucks the least.)

And obviously Kevin sucks because that's the point of the book.

There's a lot of philosophizing and social commentary and introspection in this book. Like it's 66% that. Interesting monologue, but it does make everything drag so

Also don't think the nasty mess with the drama teacher was necessary. It was overtly obscene. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings and Sexual content

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Animal death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Sexism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Murder, Alcoholism, and Child abuse

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

melissahawco's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Mass/school shootings, Death, and Child death

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Racial slurs

ajlct's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

It's an excellent technical display of unlikeable characters and an unreliable narrator, but ultimately there was nothing redeeming about this book that made me glad to have read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gun violence, Child abuse, Cursing, Medical trauma, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Child death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual harassment, and Violence

boundforinfinity's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Eva's pretentious attitude to life and unattractive opinions on motherhood make for an unlikeable, unreliable narrator. That being said - that was the point. And boy does that point shine through.

In regards to the Nature vs. Nurture debate, which surrounds this novels primary focus (Kevin), I would argue more than ever that the majority swings to the nurture side. I, as a reader, find that whilst Eva's actions weren't necessarily harsh or unloving - her tone and attitude towards her son breed the hostile nature that he harbours. Yes - parenting is hard - and especially when the child is not what you were expecting. Franklin's character, whilst also repulsive and pretentious, held a fair stance on parenting. 

Why was it that Kevin left Eva? Not necessarily to torture her, I don't think, but because he craved attention and love from the person who put up a façade of a doting mother. A mother who would look after him but would scream about him being a monster and evil when she thought he couldn't hear. In response, he grabbed her attention in the way she'd alluded to in different parts throughout his childhood. Her "favourite" things. 

I realise this is just my view on the book coupled with my own opinion on parenting - but I stand by it. 

A great read for the opinionated and interested in psychologies of killers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Child abuse, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, Child death, Bullying, and Emotional abuse

Freud would love it.